Mobile Suit Gundam 00: Resistance
by Anzac-A1
Summary: A new mobile suit joins the fight against the A-LAWS, but what is the story behind this mysterious suit and its pilot? MileinaXOC.
1. NZRC 001 Duke Specifications

**Here's a technical description of the mobile suit used by the main character in Resistance.**

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><p>Mobile Suit Specifications: NZRC-001 Duke.<p>

Unit Type: High Speed/Close Combat Mobile Suit.

Profile

Model Number: NZRC-001.

Namesake: Duke (rank of nobility).

Developed from: N/A.

Developed into: N/A.

First Seen: 2312 A.D.

Manufacturer: New Zealand Resistance Corps (NZRC).

Operator: New Zealand Resistance Corps, later Celestial Being.

Known Pilots: Artemis Knight.

General Characteristics

Head Height: 18.4 metres.

Max Weight: 58.0 tons.

Power-plant: GN Tau Drive (stolen and modified).

Accommodation: Pilot only, cockpit in chest.

Armour: E-Carbon.

Movement

Propulsion: Heavy Back Thruster x1, Medium Leg Thrusters x2, High-output Auxiliary Back Thrusters x2.

Armaments

Multi-purpose Weapon Gauntlet x2, containing

GN Beam Sword x1.

GN Beam Cannon x1.

GN Particle Beam Sword (two halves housed on either thigh) x1.

GN Vulcan x2.

Special Equipments and Features

Power Core Boost System (PCBS).

CAB (Communication Amplification Booster) Pike Launcher.

Optional Equipment

None.

GN Particle Beam Sword

The sword is comprised of two separate handle pieces which are stored in the armour on each thigh. The two halves join together to emit a blade similar to the one used by the GNX-704T/AC Ahead Sakigake. To allow the sword to penetrate GN Fields, the Duke is able to super-condense the particles which comprise the blade, which means that the sword can cut through a GN Field. However, the particle output rate required means that the super-condensation can only be performed for 30 seconds at a time.

High-output Auxiliary Back Thrusters

The auxiliary thrusters were designed to give the Duke a high speed dash capability for such tasks as infiltration. The thrusters are housed in the upper torso, on either side of the main thruster and extend when in use. Each is capable of twice the thrust of the main thruster, allowing the Duke to reach incredible speeds.

Multi-purpose Weapon Gauntlet

The gauntlets are mounted on both forearms and house the Duke's primary weapons. The GN Beam Swords are similar in power to a standard A-LAWS beam saber, and possess the same super-condensation ability as the GN Particle Beam Sword. The GN Beam Cannons are as powerful as the standard A-LAWS Beam Rifle, but possess a higher rate of fire. The cannons can also be charged for more powerful shots, as powerful as Cherudim's GN Sniper Rifle II.

GN Vulcan

Designed as a result of increasing reports from their ally Katharon regarding the A-LAWS use of military automatons to attack their enemies, the NZRC equipped the Duke with two GN Vulcan cannons. The Vulcans are housed in the shoulders and pop out when in use. Their high rate of fire makes them ideal for dealing with automatons and other small/'soft' targets, but their low power means they are largely ineffective against mobile suits.

Power Core Boost System (PCBS) 

As its GN Tau Drive is incapable of Trans-Am, the Duke utilizes another system to boost performance; the Power Core Boost System. On either side of the cockpit, the Duke houses two so called 'Power Cores'. These are essentially GN Condensers, except they contain the equivalent of 5 hours worth of GN particles in a super condensed state. When the Duke uses the PCBS, one of the Power Core racks extends out of the chest, one of the cores lifts up and then back into its usual position, dumping all of its particles at once. While active, the 'Burst Mode' causes the Duke to glow a reddish-orange hue, as a result of the massive amount of GN particles present. In Burst Mode, the Duke's weapons increase in power two fold, while its speed is equivalent to any of the Gundams in Trans-Am. The only weakness is that the Burst Mode only remains active for approximately a minute per core, limiting its effectiveness. To compensate for this, the Duke carries four cores, two on each side. Another problem is that the cores are vulnerable for the brief period it takes to activate the PCBS, giving an enemy the opportunity to hit them. If the cores are hit, the explosion which resulted would be sufficient to annihilate the Duke completely.

CAB (Communication Amplification Booster) Pike Launcher

The CAB (Communication Amplification Booster) Pike Launcher is primarily used to boost communications strength and range, mainly when GN particles are present, as they jam radar and communications systems. The CAB Pike Launcher can also be used as a point-blank surprise weapon, by firing any remaining pikes into an enemy mobile suit.

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><p><strong>Well, that takes care of what the Duke can do. Next chapter, the story begins.<strong>


	2. Chapter 1: A Noble Warrior Rises

**Here we go! The first chapter of Mobile Suit Gundam 00: Resistance! I won't spoil it by telling you what's going to happen, just read on and enjoy!**

**A.N. I'd also like to give a shout out to Ghost Writer Orange-kun, my co-writer for this story, who is supplying very good ideas and helpful advice.**

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><p>Chapter 1: A Noble Warrior Rises.<p>

_50 miles off the East Coast of New Zealand, near New Auckland City_

The clean blue waters of the Pacific were calm, save for a lone transport ship slicing its way through the ocean. A closer look would have revealed to any person that the ship was in fact a Bering-class Mobile Suit sea carrier, of the Autonomous Peace-Keeping Force, or A-LAWS. The presence of the A-LAWS always heralded the same things; death, destruction, and subjugation for the people who were unfortunate enough to have the Earth Sphere Federation turn its attention on their country. On the carrier's deck, all ten of its mobile suits were rolled out and prepared for launch. In total, eight GN-XIIIs, one GNX-704T Ahead, and the GNX-704T/AC Sakigake were ready to launch, their pilots waiting for clearance. Two of the GN-XIIIs carried automaton containers on their lower backs, below their GN Tau Drives.

"_Captain Zinin, launch preparations are complete. Mission is to wipe out the anti-government organisation NZRC and their base. The base is located beneath the island of Rangitoto, just outside New Auckland. Your orders are to deploy automatons inside the base and then eliminate any mobile suits and vehicles you encounter." _Major Aber Rindt explained.

"Roger that, sir.' Zinin replied. "Zinin Squad, launching." Zinin's Ahead and Mr Bushido's Sakigake took off, closely followed by the GN-XIIIs. The ten mobile suits increased speed, heading towards the island, a stream of GN Tau Particles in their wake. Little did they know that at their destination, an unknown danger lay in wait.

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><p>Fifty miles away, alarms began to go off inside the New Zealand Resistance Corps' underground base, causing everyone inside to spring into action. In the main control room, operators worked frantically to locate the threat.<p>

"Commander, we're detecting ten enemy mobile suits closing fast from the North-East at thirty miles!" one shouted. Commander Alexander Hunter ground his teeth in anger. He never imagined that their base would be discovered before they'd tested the new mobile suit.

"Where are they from? Are they regular ESF forces?" he demanded.

"One moment sir, we're verifying that now." Another operator replied. Seconds later, he let out a horrified gasp. "S-Sir, they're not regular forces! It's the A-LAWS!"

"Damn it! Those bastard murderers are coming here now?" Hunter shouted. He'd been told by their ally Katharon of the atrocities the A-LAWS had committed whenever they were sent into action. Now his people would be almost certainly added to the list of those slaughtered by the Federation's secret police.

"What are your orders, sir?" the operator asked.

"Alert all base personnel and have them report to battle stations! Send out all of our mobile suits as well! And see if Professor Alton can send out the Duke!" Commander Hunter ordered.

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><p>A few minutes later, Captain Zinin and his squad arrived in the airspace around Rangitoto. As soon as they arrived, Zinin spotted a large number of mobile suits moving to engage them. The suits were a mix of outdated Union Flag models, but surprisingly Zinin noticed there were ten Overflags as well. All of the mobile suits were painted black with white highlights, except for the Overflags, which were all black.<p>

"Squad, intercept those mobile suits! We need to clear a path so that Units Four and Five can deploy automatons! Mr Bushido-!" Zinin said, before Mr Bushido interrupted.

"Sorry, but I don't see anything that's worth my time." He replied, heading back towards the carrier. Zinin ignored the ace, as he charged to meet the NZRC mobile suits. Although the Flags hugely outnumbered the A-LAWS mobile suits, they were no match for the GN-powered machines. Only the few Overflags managed to put up a fight. In a display of clever tactical thinking, they launched co-ordinated strikes from multiple directions, using their speed to avoid any attempts to counter attack. However, despite their valiant efforts, the GN-XIIIs carrying the automatons managed to slip past them and immediately made a dash for the island. In moments, the two mobile suits had reached the island. A quick scan revealed several concealed entrances to the underground base complex. The GN-XIIIs headed for the nearest one, blasting it open with their GN Lances.

"This is Unit Four and Unit Five. We have located an entry point. Releasing automatons." One of the pilots said, as both mobile suits released their automaton containers into the entrance. After a short fall, the containers landed in a large hallway, able to accommodate mobile suits. The containers opened, and the dozen automatons inside each one activated, before moving out to eliminate anyone in the base.

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><p>"<em>Commander! Commander Hunter!" <em>a frantic soldier called over the radio.

"What is it, soldier?" Hunter asked.

"_Sir, the A-LAWS have deployed military automatons! We can't-AGHHH!" _the soldier screamed, before he was cut off, his voice replaced by static.

"Damn those A-LAWS! What's the status of Professor Alton?" Commander Hunter demanded.

"Sir, he says that he's working as fast as he can, but it'll still be a few minutes!" one of the soldiers reported.

"Well, let's buy him some time then! Everyone, follow me! We need to prevent the automatons from reaching the Mobile Suit Lab! Let's go!" Hunter shouted, picking up his personal assault rifle.

"HOOAH!" the soldiers shouted, following their leader as they raced to meet the intruding machines.

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><p>Meanwhile, inside said lab, Professor Alton Knight was working frantically. The professor was a kindly, middle-aged man with light brown hair which was just starting to grey, and green eyes. He wore a simple white lab coat over his trousers, shirt and tie. He knew that, even with their best efforts, Commander Hunter and the other NZRC soldiers would only be able to buy him a minute or two at best. Knowing this, he hurried to finish what he needed to do.<p>

"Father, how much longer do you think we have?" his son, Artemis Knight, asked. Artemis was his father's only remaining family, after his mother had died giving birth to him sixteen years ago. Artemis still blamed himself for his mother's death and tried hard to make up for her absence. He was of above-average height, with short black hair and unique silver eyes. He wore a black/white pilot suit, which had been specially designed to work with the mobile suit his father had created.

"That depends, son. At best, two minutes. Come on, we're almost done." Alton replied. Artemis nodded, getting back to work. Behind them stood the professor's pride and joy; a new mobile suit designed to combat the A-LAWS' GN-powered mobile suits on equal terms, the NZRC-001 Duke. All that was left was to finish uploading the control systems for the suit. But this was taking longer than expected, due to the complexity of the systems. Suddenly, a loud booming sound came from the other side of the lab doors, accompanied by machine gun fire and the screams of dying men.

"Almost done! Now I just have to input the pass code!"Alton said, before the doors were blown open. As the smoke cleared, Artemis and his father watched in shock as an automaton slowly entered the lab, scanning the area, before locking onto Alton. The machine opened fire, its machine guns shredding the professor's lower abdomen. The professor fell to ground as his lab coat slowly turned scarlet from the blood pouring out of the myriad of bullet holes.

"FATHER!" Artemis shouted. He dived out from behind the console where he'd taken cover, firing his handgun at the automaton. By chance, his bullets hit a weak point, causing the machine to shut down immediately. Artemis ran over his father and knelt beside him. Alton coughed weakly, throwing up some blood, adding to the blood which soaked his clothes.

"Artemis...are...you...alright?" he asked, his voice weak.

"Yes, I'm fine." Artemis replied, as he struggled to keep from crying.

"That's...good...Artemis...you...have...to go...now...Take...the suit...Leave...me." Alton replied. Artemis found he couldn't speak past the lump in his throat. All he could do was nod weakly.

"Good...to hear...The...activation code...is..." Alton said, whispering the code to Artemis, before his body finally gave out.

"Goodbye...father." Artemis whispered. He stood and hurried over to the console and hastily typed in the pass code which would allow the suit to come online. He then ran over to the Duke, climbing the gantry next to it. He lowered himself into the cockpit and closed the hatch. He quickly ran through the necessary checks, before activating the mobile suit's systems. The screens lit up, displaying the outside view of the suit's surroundings. Artemis sat back in the seat, connecting the plug on his suit's back to the cockpit seat. He placed his hands on the yellow gel-like balls on the seat's arms, the HUD appeared on the screen directly in front of him.

"Father, I won't let you down." Artemis said. He then moved the mobile suit forward, exiting the lab to deal with the rest of the automatons first.

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><p>"Sir, we've confirmed all enemy mobile suits destroyed." One of the pilots said.<p>

"Good work. Now we just have to wait for the automatons to-huh?" Kanin said, as the signals from the automatons began to disappear. "The number of automatons in there...it's decreasing?" After a few more seconds, all of the automatons had ceased transmitting their signals. Suddenly, one of the other pilots called him.

"Captain, I've detected another mobile suit! But...it's moving way too fast to be a Flag!" he said. Before the mobile suits could react, a dark grey mobile suit shot up from underneath them. It flew through the group, before stopping to hover a short distance away.

"What kind of mobile suit is that? It's emitting GN particles!" Kanin exclaimed. Then, Artemis spoke from inside the Duke.

"Hear me, A-LAWS! You may have enjoyed little opposition in the past, but that all ends today! You can rob us of our country, take our bodies and our minds, but you will never...take our PRIDE!" Artemis shouted. He drew and assembled the Duke's GN Particle Beam Sword, its blade the same colour as the A-LAWS' beam sabers, and charged forward. Raising the sword above his head with both hands, Artemis brought it down in a mighty swing, cleaving a GN-XIII in two. The Duke spun around, then attacked another mobile suit. The pilot panicked, firing wildly without aiming. Artemis dodged the beams easily, before beheading the unfortunate mobile suit. He returned the sword to the Duke's thighs, activating the gauntlets instead. Artemis fired the GN Beam Cannons at two more GN-XIIIs that were attacking him from his eleven o'clock, firing their GN Lances. Artemis dodged the beams, while still managing to score devastating hits. The two suits exploded, as Artemis deployed the gauntlets' GN Beam Swords, as the five remaining mobile suits attacked the Duke. With cool efficiency and elegance, the Duke swiftly avoided all attacks that came its way, slicing through the A-LAWS mobile suits with ease. As the wrecked machines plummeted to earth, Artemis deployed the Duke's Advanced Communications Antenna, which extended from the right-side shoulder armour, to scan for where the mobile suits came from after a quick sweep, the sensors detected a lone Bering-class sea carrier ship, about fifty miles away. Artemis turned and headed for the ship to finish what he'd started.

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><p>"Sir, we've lost contact with Zinin Squad!" one of the A-LAWS soldiers reported.<p>

"What?" Rindt exclaimed. "How?"

"No idea, but whatever destroyed them is headed right for us! Range ten miles!" the soldier replied. Major Rindt maintained his cool and calm expression, but inside he was panicking. Even if he had Mr Bushido at his disposal, the mobile suit and pilot heading for his ship had defeated ten A-LAWS mobile suits in less than five minutes. And now it was coming for him.

"Very well, alert all gunners and tell them to be ready to fire as soon as this suit shows up. And have Mr Bushido ready to intercept our guest." He ordered.

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><p>Minutes later, the gunners spotted the Duke approaching the ship fast from twelve o'clock. Immediately they opened fire, but at the range they were firing, Artemis was easily able to avoid the beams that came his way. Suddenly, the barrage ceased, as the sky became empty once again.<p>

"Huh? Why'd they stop?" Artemis wondered. Just then, the Duke's proximity alarm sounded, indicating something was attacking him from his right side. Artemis turned, simultaneously readying the Duke's GN Beam Swords. He was just in time to block the Sakigake's two-handed beam saber from severing the Duke's right arm. The red mobile suit pushed, trying to force the Duke back. Artemis answered his adversary, putting more pressure on his sword while increasing thrust.

"Well now, look at this. An opponent who's actually worth fighting!" the red suit's pilot said.

"Who are you?" Artemis demanded.

"Hah, you really have no idea who you're messing with, do you? They call me Mr Bushido! Now you shall remember the name of your destroyer, anti-government scum!" Mr Bushido shouted, pulling away from the Duke, before charging again. Artemis glared at the Sakigake, deactivating the gauntlets and bringing out the Duke's GN Particle Beam Sword. The two pilots charged each other, their swords meeting in a powerful clash. However, neither machine could gain the upper hand.

'Time to end this. Duke, activate super condensation for the sword." He said. Slowly, the sword began to push through the Sakigake's beam saber, before it broke through, cutting off the suit's head and right arm. Crippled, the Sakigake dropped out of the sky like a brick, as Artemis turned his attention on the carrier. He charged forward, dropping onto the ship's deck, in front of the bridge. Artemis could see the people in the bridge scrambling to get out, as he raised the Duke's free arm, GN Beam Cannon ready.

"How pitiful. These people have no qualms about destroying innocent lives, and yet they're terrified of losing their own. Hmph, it looks like the A-LAWS are nothing more than a bunch of murdering cowards." Artemis mused, his voice and expression cold and harsh, as he fired the GN Beam Cannon into the bridge, which was instantly engulfed in flames. Satisfied, Artemis replaced the GN Particle Beam Sword and deactivated the gauntlet, before taking off again, flying away from the ship.

"Well, what to do now? I can't really go to Katharon, a) because I don't know where their bases are, and b) because they can't really fight the Federation on equal terms. My only realistic option is Celestial Being, but I've got no way of contacting them. All I can do is lay low until they pop up somewhere and hopefully get to them before they slip back under the radar again."Artemis said. His course of action now clear, the young pilot headed north, across the ocean.

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><p><strong>Well, like it? Please, please review and tell me what you thought! <strong>

**AN: Also, can anyone guess where Artemis' line "You can rob us of our country, take our bodies and our minds, but you will never...take our PRIDE!" before the fight begins is from? You will be metioned in the next chapter if you are correct!**


	3. GN006 Stargazer Specifications

**Here's a technical description of the mobile suit used by ****Ghost Writer Orange-kun's OC, Divine Divinity****.**

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><p>Mobile Suit Specifications: GN-006 Stargazer.<p>

Unit Type: Long Range Combat Mobile Suit.

Profile

Model Number: GN-006.

Namesake: N/A.

Developed from: N/A.

Developed into: N/A.

First Seen: 2312 A.D.

Manufacturer: Celestial Being.

Operator: Celestial Being.

Known Pilots: Divine Divinity.

General Characteristics

Head Height: 18.4 metres.

Max Weight: 60.0 tons.

Power-plant: GN Drive.

Accommodation: Pilot only, cockpit in chest.

Armour: E-Carbon, GN Composite Armour.

Movement

Propulsion: GN Vernier (GN Ring).

Armaments

GN Ring x1.

GN Sword II x2 (stored on thighs).

Special Equipments and Features

Trans-Am.

Zhen-Xuan-Shen.

GN Field (projected from GN Ring and forearm armour).

Optional Equipment

None.

Zhen-Xuan-Shen

Inspired by Divine's Taoist beliefs, the Stargazer posses an ability known as Zhen-Xuan-Shen, a sort of 'evolved Trans-Am'. Literally translated as _the truth-the mystery-the divine_, the system works exactly like Trans-Am, but twice as powerful. When it is activated, the Taoist 'Fuxi' (translated as Earlier Heaven) or Eight Trigrams symbol appears inside the GN Ring, and the entire suit glows a bright silver hue instead of the pink-reddish hue of Trans-Am. As a result of the enormous increase in power, the system can only be used for a one minute at a time.

GN Ring

Mounted on the Stargazer's back, the GN Ring serves as both its means of propulsion and its primary weapon. The ring draws on GN particles generated by the GN Drive at its base, emitting them from its outer edge to propel the mobile suit. When used as a weapon, the ring concentrates GN particles at its centre and fires them as particle beams. The ring can either fire rapid-fire beams, or it can be charged for a more powerful and larger beam. In rapid-fire, the beams are the same power as the rifle mode of the GN Sword II, while when charged they are as powerful as Seravee's Double Bazooka Burst Mode. When in Trans-Am, the yin-yang symbol appears inside the ring, and the charged beam is called the Yin-Yang Cannon. In Zhen-Xuan-Shen, the charged beam is called the Eight Trigrams Cannon.

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><p><strong>Hope you like the new Gundam! Anzac-A1 out!<strong>


	4. Chapter 2: New Allies, Same Objective

**Sorry for the wait! Here's the next instalment of Resistance, enjoy!**

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><p>Chapter 2: New Allies, Same Objective.<p>

A few weeks later, Artemis was starting to have doubts about his plan of action. Since his maiden battle against the A-LAWS, Celestial Being had only made a few appearances. However, what was worse was that Artemis had only been able to attempt a rendezvous twice. This was a result of the fact that he needed to stay hidden and not be caught by the Federation. On top of that, most of the time, the battle was too far away for him to get to in time.

"Agh, this isn't working at all! If I could just catch a break for once!" Artemis complained, as he tried to relax. He'd landed the Duke on top of Ayers Rock (also known as Uluru) in central Australia, knowing that the high vantage point would allow him to both avoid detection from the ground, and to spot anything approaching from the air. Currently, he was sitting in the cockpit, waiting, or rather praying, for Celestial Being to show up again somewhere. He had the Duke's ACA (Advanced Communication's Antenna) extended to allow him to pick up any transmissions within a 5,000km radius, including space. But so far, he'd found nothing useful.

"I swear, I'm gonna go crazy if something doesn't happen soon." He grumbled. Suddenly, he heard something which immediately grabbed his attention. The A-LAWS fleet that was stationed around the satellite weapon Memento Mori, which had been responsible for the destruction of most of the former AEU's orbital elevator, was calling for reinforcements, stating that they were under attack by Gundams.

"Perfect! I can easily get there in time. If I'm right, that thing should take a while to destroy, so I should be able to make it in time." He said. Quickly, Artemis put his helmet back on, while retracting the antenna. He then lifted the Duke into the clear, blue sky, and headed upwards to space. Not wanting to use the PCBS just yet, Artemis instead activated the auxiliary back thrusters which pushed him back in his seat from the acceleration, as the Duke hurtled skyward.

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><p>Meanwhile, the space around Memento Mori had been transformed into a churning mass of particle beams, missiles, ships and mobile suits, as the battle between the Gundams and the A-LAWS raged. Despite the capabilities of its mobile suits, Celestial Being was unable to get close enough to the satellite weapon to destroy it. The Federation's forces, which outnumbered the Gundams ten to one, combined with support fire from the fleet and Memento Mori itself, had forced the battle into a stalemate, in which the A-LAWS' superior numbers would eventually prevail. Onboard the Ptolemaios II, Sumeragi and the rest of the crew could only watch, as the meisters tried their best to turn the tide of the battle.<p>

"Setsuna, what's happening out there? Are you making any progress?" Sumeragi asked. She'd expected a tough defence by the A-LAWS but what she hadn't counted on was them being able to round up so many mobile suits and cruisers to defend Memento Mori. On top of all that, the Ptolemaios could only support the Gundams with its particle cannons, as its missiles were getting shot down before reaching their targets.

"_We can't get any closer to Memento Mori with this kind of resistance! We're barely holding our own as it is! Send the 0 Raiser, we need it now!" _Setsuna replied.

"We can't. The fighting's too thick, and the Raiser isn't armed to fight its way through mobile suits. There's no way it can get to you." Sumeragi replied.

_Roger, we'll do what we can." _Setsuna replied, closing the link. Sumeragi sat back in her seat, sighing with frustration. Unless they were able to pull off a miracle, they would be forced to retreat, and leave the A-LAWS with their WMD (Weapon of Mass Destruction. AN: If you don't know what WMD means, where have you been?) intact.

"Miss Sumeragi! There's a mobile suit approaching the ship from 12 o'clock and its moving fast!" Mileina shouted.

"_As if things weren't already bad enough!" _Sumeragi thought. "Put it on the monitor." Mileina typed away for a few seconds, bringing up a video feed of a crimson mobile suit, GN Tau particles streaming from it. Feldt immediately recognised it.

"Miss Sumeragi, that's the suit that fought Setsuna and Tieria that time!" she said.

"But then...the pilot is..." Sumeragi said, but she was cut off when the suit opened a sound only link to the Ptolemaios.

"_So Celestial Being, we meet again. And I see you can't call on those Gundams of yours for help! The perfect situation!" _Ali Al-Saachez yelled, drawing his suit's sword while charging towards the Ptolemaios, dodging the particle beams coming his way. From her seat, Feldt knew what was happening; he was aiming for the bridge. Images of what happened five years ago, when Lichty and Christina were killed flashed before her eyes. Feldt clutched her head between her hands, hyperventilating.

"_No...please...not again!" _she thought desperately, she waited for the inevitable. But, just as Ali Al-Saachez was about to end it, another mobile suit slammed into him from his right side, throwing him away from the ship. The mobile suit moved to place itself between the red mobile suit and Ptolemaios. It held its position, as Ali regained control and faced him.

"_Don't worry. I'll handle this guy." _The new suit's pilot told the Ptolemaios crew, as they stared at it in astonishment.

"What...is that?" Sumeragi wondered.

"Miss Sumeragi, that suit is emitting the same GN particles as that red mobile suit and those used by the Federation! So...why is he helping us?" Feldt asked.

"_All you need to know for now...is that I'm here to help you. Save your questions for after the battle." _The pilot replied. The mobile suit took two pieces from the armour on its thighs and connected the together. A large beam saber sprang to life, as the suit charged Ali Al-Saachez.

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><p>Artemis yelled as the two mobile suits meet, their blades slamming into each other with tremendous force. The red mobile suit increased thrust, trying to push the Duke back. Artemis let it, waiting for his opportunity.<p>

"Letting your comrades take care of all the hard work while you attack an undefended command ship? Do you have any pride at all?" Artemis demanded. The pilot of the red mobile suit laughed maniacally. His face appearing on the Duke's screen.

"_What, you think I'm dumb enough to take on five Gundams at once? I'm here to destroy Celestial Being, not get killed!"_ he shouted. Artemis gasped, as he recognised the man's face.

"You're the one. The one who killed that reporter five years ago!" he shouted.

"_I don't know what you're talking about." _The pilot replied.

"Yes, you do! Her name was Kinue Crossroad! You stabbed her and left in that ally to bleed to death! I've been waiting for five years to carry out the promise I made to her! And it looks like I won't have to wait any longer!" Artemis shouted, activated the GN Particle Beam Sword's super condensation. The sword sliced through the red mobile suit's sword, cutting off its right arm as well. But before Artemis could deliver the final blow, the suit launched a core fighter, which quickly retreated from the combat zone, leaving the Duke's sword to cut the rest of the suit in half. Artemis watched as the fighter retreated into the distance.

"Ali Al-Saachez. Someday...you will answer for you crimes." He said, flying over to Celestial Being's ship.

"_Thank you for saving us." _A woman said.

"No thanks necessary. Is there anything else I can do to help?" Artemis asked.

"_There is. The only way to destroy Memento Mori is to destroy the electromagnetic resonator on its right side. If we can destroy that, the whole weapon will overload. The problem is that we can't get close enough." _The woman replied.

"Got it. Leave it to me, I'll see what I can do. Just have the Gundams try and clear an opening for me." Artemis replied. "Let's go. Double Burst Mode!" he shouted. The power core rack on the Duke's left side extended, the two cores lifting up, before slamming down again. The rack retracted into the Duke's chest, as the particles from the two cores flooded the suit, causing it to glow a reddish-orange hue. Artemis activated the auxiliary thrusters, as the Duke shot forward like a bullet, heading straight for the weapon.

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><p>At the same time, Divine Divinity was furiously battling not just to destroy Memento Mori, but also to save his own life. The Super SoldierInnovator had been given a huge shock when the fight had started. Not only were there far more enemies than he'd expected, but the satellite weapon was able to fire into space as well. As a result, he had to focus not only on the mobile suits around him, but he had to watch for Memento Mori's devastating particle beams. However, he was confident he and his mobile suit, GN-006 Stargazer, were more than up to the task.

"No matter what happens, I will never give up. For that is my Tao!" he shouted, charging another mobile suit. His GN Sword II clashed with his enemy's lance, before it tore through it, cleaving the mobile suit in two. As the suit exploded, Divine targeted another, firing a rapid series of particle beams from the Stargazer's GN Ring. The beams tore through the mobile suit's chest and legs, destroying it almost instantly.

"_Divine, come in." _Sumeragi said.

"What is it?" he asked.

"_We may have found a way to destroy Memento Mori. Some pilot has offered to help us out. I need you to ensure that he makes it through to that weapon." _She explained.

"Roger that. I'll take care of it." Divine replied, moving to carry out his orders.

* * *

><p>Artemis was pushed into his seat, as the G-Force meter climbed past 6G. He shrugged it off, focusing on avoiding the mobile suits around him as he barrelled through the chaotic battlefield. The Duke moving so fast that it was gone before the A-LAWS pilots could even fire on it, even though it would've simply outpaced the particle beams fired at it. Artemis caught fleeting glimpses of the Gundams as he blasted past them, just able to make out their silhouettes. As he cleared the last mobile suits, Artemis spotted four Baikal-class battlecruisers in front of him.<p>

"Damn it! Get out of my way!" Artemis shouted. Suddenly, the lead cruiser was hit by a large particle beam, before it exploded. Artemis looked in the beam's direction to see a white and silver Gundam with a large ring on its back. The Gundam fired again, destroying the rest of the cruisers, allowing Artemis to continue on. The Duke soon arrived at Memento Mori, just as the timer for the PCBS hit 00:30.

"Thirty seconds left..." Artemis muttered, as he headed for the weapon's right side. Activating the gauntlets, he charged the GN Beam Cannons and fired. The orange particle beams hit their mark, blowing a hole in the weapon's armour. Artemis charged inside, as he charged the cannons again.

00:20

The Duke flew inside a massive chamber, as Artemis potted his target at the centre. Artemis focused on it, aiming the Duke's cannons.

00:10

Artemis fired both GN Beam Cannons simultaneously, their beams destroying the electromagnetic resonator completely. Immediately, Artemis turned the Duke around and gunned it, heading for the entry hole he'd made. Behind him, the weapon's interior began exploding, the fireball threatening to engulf the Duke.

00:05

Artemis pushed the Duke's thrusters to their limit, as his exit came into view.

"Almost there...come on!" he shouted. The Duke finally reached the hole, just as its Burst Mode ceased.

00:00

* * *

><p>A massive explosion engulfed the area, as Memento Mori overloaded. Having just defeated the A-LAWS mobile suits, the meisters watched as the weapon was destroyed.<p>

"Finally it's gone." Allelujah sighed with relief.

"But where's that mobile suit that helped us?" Lockon asked.

"Look there!" Tieria said. They all turned to see the mobile suit fly out of the explosion, headed in their direction. Amazingly, the suit appeared to have suffered no damage at all; just its paint was burnt in a few places. The Gundams headed for the Ptolemaios, as the mobile suit formed up with them. Keeping a close eye on their new ally, the meisters escorted the suit towards the ship. After the suit was taken on board, the meisters each proceeded to dock as well. Once all of the mobile suits were on board, the Ptolemaios headed away from the area.

* * *

><p>Inside the Duke's cockpit, Artemis breathed a sigh of relief, relaxing his body after the intense combat. He thought back to his narrow escape from Memento Mori.<p>

"I really don't want to cut it _that _close ever again." He chuckled, before he decided he should probably get out and meet Celestial Being, and hopefully explain his situation. As he climbed out of the Duke, he could see eleven people, four girls and seven guys, waiting over by the door. Artemis floated over to the group, removing his helmet once he was in front of them.

"Welcome aboard the Ptolemaios. I'm Sumeragi Lee Noriega, tactical forecaster. And you are?" the woman wearing the purple uniform asked.

"Thank you, it's good to finally meet you. My name is Artemis Knight. I am, or rather, I used to be a member of the New Zealand Resistance Corps." Artemis replied.

"Used to be?" the man wearing an orange uniform asked.

"A few weeks ago, our base was discovered by the A-LAWS. I was the only one to make it out alive." Artemis replied, his voice grim as he recalled that horrible day.

"That's terrible" the girl wearing a pink uniform said.

"It was, but I've more or less accepted it by now." Artemis replied.

"Well in that case, allow me to introduce the rest of our members." Sumeragi said. She then proceeded to introduce the others. The man wearing the orange uniform was Allelujah Haptism, one of the Gundam meisters. The other meisters were Lockon Stratos, Tieria Erde, Setsuna F Seiei, and Divine Divinity. The girl wearing the pink uniform was Feldt Grace, while the others were Ian & Mileina Vashti, Marie Parfacy, and Saji Crossroads. Artemis was shocked when Saji was introduced.

"Wait a second, you're Saji Crossroads?" he asked.

"Yes, why?" Saji asked. Artemis hesitated, wondering if he should tell Saji what he knew.

"Well, there's something I learned a while ago that...I think you deserve to know. It's about your sister, Kinue." Artemis explained.

"What about my sister?" Saji asked.

"I know who killed her." Artemis said. Saji's eyes widened as he gasped in shock. After a couple of minutes, he recovered enough to speak.

"How do you..." he asked, unable to finish his sentence.

"I'll explain." Artemis replied.

* * *

><p><em>Flashback<em>

_Five years earlier, an 11-year old Artemis was walking along a side street when he noticed a man running out of an alley further down the street. Wondering what had happened, Artemis hurried over to the alley. To his horror, he found a woman lying on the ground, a pool of blood growing beneath her. Artemis ran over to her to see if she was still alive._

"_Hey, are you alright?" he asked frantically. "Who did this?" The woman shifted slightly, whispering something. Artemis bent down to hear her voice better. The woman whispered a man's name, her voice very weak. Then her body went completely limp, as she passed away forever. Artemis was shocked, but realised that this man the woman mentioned must have been the one who killed the woman. Looking to his left, he saw a photo lying on the ground. It showed the woman, a boy slightly younger than her, and two more people who were probably here parents._

"_I promise you, whoever you are. I will find who did this to you. One day." Artemis vowed._

_End Flashback_

* * *

><p>"So you were the one who told the police about her." Saji realised.<p>

"Yes, I only wish I'd gotten there sooner.' Artemis replied.

"So, who was it? Who killed my sister?" Saji asked.

"His name is...Ali Al-Saachez. He was the pilot of that red mobile suit from before." Artemis replied. A loud gasp was heard, but it didn't come from Saji. In fact, it was Setsuna, who now clenching his fists, his face an expression of pure hatred.

"That bastard, how many more people does he have to kill?" he growled.

"And he got away." Saji said.

"I'm sorry for that. But don't worry, I will find him again, he won't be so lucky next time." Artemis promised. Saji nodded, looking slightly relieved.

"Anyway, on to more pressing matters. Like your mobile suit. I'd like to know a little more about it, if possible." Sumeragi said.

"I was wondering when you'd ask." Artemis replied. "It's called the Duke. My father designed it with the intention of creating something that would hopefully be a match for the Federation's mobile suits. For that, we needed a GN Drive. So we managed to find a mobile suit that was patrolling by itself and jammed its communications. Then it was a simple matter to remove the GN Drive. Then we installed it onto the Duke."

"Not bad. And from what I've seen, this suit is probably a match even for the Gundams." Ian noted.

"Well, hopefully we'll never have to find that out." Lockon remarked.

"Hopefully. So, would it be alright if I stay with you guys? I can't exactly do much by myself for too much longer, and you probably have better intel anyway." Artemis asked.

"Sure, I don't see any problem with that. You'd be a great help." Sumeragi replied. Artemis nodded, knowing he'd taken a big step towards his ultimate goal.

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><p><strong>Well, what do you think? Please review this chapter, it only takes a few seconds and your opinions are greatly appreciated!<strong>


	5. Chapter 3: Relief or Regret?

**Sorry for the wait! I am happy to announce the release of the next instalment of Mobile Suit Gundam 00: Resistance!**

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><p>Chapter 3: Relief or Regret?<p>

A day had already passed since Celestial Being had successfully destroyed the satellite weapon Memento Mori, with the help of Artemis and his mobile suit, known as the Duke. Despite the good reception and an explanation as to his motives and affiliation, Artemis could tell that the crew of the Ptolemaios, or at least some of them, were still sceptical about the many unknowns surrounding him. They had no way of knowing where he came from, who or what he might be working for, or who he really was. All they had was the word of someone they didn't even know. As a result, whenever Artemis was outside of his room, one of the CB members was always with him, exactly who it was changed from time to time. At present, the young girl by the name of Mileina was tagging along. Out of the entire crew, she was the one Artemis preferred to be around. She was quite high-spirited and kind hearted, in addition to being very chatty and energetic. In addition, Artemis did find her to be incredibly excitable, and was surprised by her reliance on her so-called 'women's intuition' when it came to the two official couples on board; those couples being Lockon/Anew and Allelujah/Marie. Currently, the two, plus a white version of one of CB's numerous ball-shaped Haro robots, were lounging in one of the ship's observation rooms, its windows giving a brilliant view of the deep space that lay beyond. At present, the two could just see the moon emerging from behind the earth, shining a brilliant white.

"So anyway, I've been noticing Miss Noriega and Mister Divinity are spending a lot of time together lately. Oh, they must be lovers, I just know it!" Mileina squealed with delight.

"Would this be your woman's intuition again?" Artemis inquired sarcastically. Mileina giggled before turning to face him. She was clad in her yellow CB uniform, while Artemis was still wearing his pilot suit. If he got accepted fully as a member of Celestial Being, then he would receive a uniform as well.

"Of course! I'm never wrong when it comes to love!" she announced dramatically while staring into the distance, as if having just given a rousing speech or something similar. Artemis couldn't help but laugh loudly, causing the girl to look at him oddly.

"Oh man, you are an interesting person, Mileina!" he chuckled, finally managing to reign in his wild emotions. Mileina smiled cutely.

"Thanks. Most people just stare at like I'm crazy whenever I say stuff like that." She replied. The two teens continued to make pleasant conversation, blissfully unaware of the discussion taking place not too far from them.

* * *

><p>After taking Artemis and his mobile suit on board, Sumeragi had been approached by Tieria and Divine, who both voiced their suspicions about the young pilot. In a way, the forecaster was grateful, as she too had her unanswered questions. The three had decided to discuss what to do about Artemis to confirm whether or not he was trustworthy.<p>

"Divine, why don't you go first, since it was you who suggested we do this?" Sumeragi suggested.

"Sure. Well, from what he's told us and from what I've seen, there's no denying the fact that Artemis is an exceptional pilot. He was able to drive off one of the Gundam Thrones single handed, and managed to infiltrate and destroy Memento Mori almost unscathed. But, given his age and the fact that this was only his second time in combat, it shouldn't be possible." Divine explained. Despite being a Super Soldier like Allelujah, Divine didn't possess an alter ego like Hallelujah. Another odd trait was his eyes, the right being gun-metal grey while the left was a smoky black, the pupil almost invisible. His eyes were matched by his flight suit, which was an intense black with silver trim, a huge contrast with his long (past the shoulder blades), fiery red hair.

"As I see it, there're only three possible explanations. He's either a Super Soldier, Innovade, or an Innovator. We know that, apart from Allelujah, Marie and Divine, all of the Super Soldiers are dead. And I would've known if he was an Innovade the first moment I saw him." Tieria said.

"Which leaves only one possibility..." Sumeragi followed.

"Exactly, but humans can only become Innovators by exposure to high concentrations of GN particles. And none of the Gundams has ever been near New Zealand to my knowledge. So, how did Artemis become one?" Divine wondered. Sumeragi was thinking the same thing. They knew how Innovators were created thanks to Setsuna's use of the 00 Raiser, but Artemis' case was particularly puzzling. There was no obvious way he could have been exposed to GN particles at the kind of densities required for humans to evolve into Innovators. Then, the tactical forecaster had a brainwave.

"Tieria, do we still have all of the data regarding the past interventions by the Gundams?" she asked.

"I believe so. I do recall there being a quite extensive record." He replied.

"In that case, I need you to check it again. This time, have a look at all of the interventions performed by the 0 Gundam. From what I know, it was conducting small-scale interventions around the time that Artemis should've been born. Then, we can check with him to see if he was ever near it. That would explain his condition." Sumeragi explained. She knew that the younger the individual, the more likely it was for them to become an Innovator. There was even the slight chance that this would result in a more powerful Innovator than an older subject like Setsuna. Tieria nodded in understanding.

"I see. That sounds like a good place to start. I'll get right on it." He replied. "In the mean time, what shall we do about confirming whether or not Artemis can be trusted?" Sumeragi and Divine looked at the Innovade knowingly. All three knew they had to find out if the pilot could be trusted to not betray them or something else along those lines.

"How about this, we send Artemis on a simple mission, like reconnaissance, and one of us goes with him. Then, in the event that he does try something, we can neutralise him easily." Divine suggested. As he saw it, it was the simplest and most effective plan. By sending only one Gundam along, it was more likely that Artemis would try something, given the easier odds against him. Surely if he was working against Celestial Being, then he would eagerly take the bait. If he didn't then they would know that he could be trusted to co-operate without any trouble.

"Tieria, what do you think?" Sumeragi asked.

"I agree with Divine. It's the quickest method we have, and the least risky. I say we try it out." Tieria replied. Sumeragi nodded in agreement.

"Good, at least we now have a plan."

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Artemis and Mileina had finally, after about an hour or so, run out of things to keep talking about, despite white Haro's admittedly funny antics, most notably repeating whatever they said just to be annoying. As a result the two had ended up just relaxing on the couch. Despite his reservations, due to his rather embarrassing lack of knowledge in dealing with girls, Artemis found himself gradually adjusting to the slightly awkward circumstances.<p>

"Oh, I'm so bored!" Mileina exclaimed, pouting the way she did whenever she got bored. Artemis couldn't help but stare, hoping she wouldn't notice.

"_Wow, she's so cute!" _he thought, his cheeks slightly flushed. "Well, why don't we talk about our families?" he suggested. Mileina stopped pouting, turning to face Artemis, a smile gracing her face.

"Well, there's not much on my end. You've already met my dad. He's our main engineer, but he mostly works on the Gundams." Mileina replied. "My mom's back on one of our bases. She pretty much has the same job as my dad. What about your parents?" Artemis's face fell, his expression now very sad.

"They're both...gone." he replied, his voice shaky.

"I'm sorry. If you don't want to talk about it, we can stop." Mileina replied, her voice soft and gentle. She could sense Artemis was harbouring some extremely bad memories.

"No, it's alright. I need to get this off my chest. My father, he was the one who created the Duke, with a little of my help. But...he was killed by an automaton when our base was attacked. He was killed right in front of me, and I couldn't do anything about it." Artemis continued, struggling to talk past the lump in his throat. He desperately tried to hold back his tears.

"And...your mother?" Mileina asked cautiously (AN: I felt so emotional writing this next part.).

"My mother, she died giving birth to me, sixteen years ago. I still blame myself, even though I know it wasn't my fault. Every year, the one day I dread is my birthday. Because I know...that she'll never be there waiting for me. I'll never be able to hug her, or be able to talk to her, ever." Artemis sobbed. By this point, he'd stopped trying to hold back from crying. His tears now flowed freely, every drop speaking volumes about the hurt he'd gone through in his life since that fateful day. Mileina felt herself overcome with guilt at seeing his tears. Here she was, talking cheerfully about her parents, when Artemis had lost both in such horrible ways. Instinctively, she wrapped her arms around Artemis, gently rubbing his back as he cried into her shoulder, whispering comforting words just like her mother did whenever she cried. After a few minutes, Artemis' crying subsided, and he straightened up, looking into Mileina's eyes, his own full of emotion.

"Thanks...for that." He said, his voice soft and quiet. Mileina smiled, nodding.

"No problem.' She replied. As the two teenagers gazed at each other, the felt themselves leaning in towards each other. Slowly, their lips met in a tender kiss. Mileina felt herself melt against Artemis, her body pressing against his, desperately trying to eliminate any space between them. As Artemis wrapped his arms around her slim waist, Mileina moaned lightly against him. She didn't hesitate when his tongue brushed against her lip, seeking entry. Mileina gladly obliged, as they truly became one in the kiss, their lips harmonising slowly, as their tongues danced inside their mouths, conveying their deepest feelings and emotions to each other. Eventually, a lack of air brought the moment to a halt, forcing them to break apart, panting to regain their lost breath.

"Wow..." Artemis breathed, blushing slightly again. But his was nothing compared to Mileina, whose blush made her face look like a ripe tomato.

"W-What brought that on?" she gasped.

"Mileina, when I first saw you, I felt something, but I didn't have any idea what it was. Now I think I know what I felt. Mileina... I love you." Artemis confessed, his blush intensifying. Mileina's eyes widened at his confession, her mouth forming an 'o' shape.

"Artemis...I think I love you too." She confessed, pulling him closer to her body, as she gazed into his shiny silver eyes. Artemis smiled, before leaning down, capturing Mileina in another passionate kiss, ignoring white Haro's joyful cheering in the background (AN: I really want reviews on this scene! Please, I really think I did well and I beg you to let me know what you think!).

* * *

><p>A few hours later, the Ptolemaios II had arrived at the earth, and settled into a low orbit around the planet. Just before they had arrived, the crew had received a coded message from Wang Liu Mei. It explained that the A-LAWS were planning on attacking a civilian aerial transport, as they believed it to be carrying members of Katharon. Sumeragi decided that, regardless of whether or not there were Katharon people on board, Celestial Being should intervene against the A-LAWS. As a result of her decision, the ship began its descent into the atmosphere, heading for the location where the A-LAWS planned to intercept the transport. As the Ptolemaios descended, Divine and Artemis prepared there mobile suits for launch. Sumeragi explained to Artemis that they were sending him out with Divine to decide whether or not they could actually trust him. Artemis agreed, completely understanding their suspicions. After arriving near the designated point, the Ptolemaios halted, as the Stargazer and Duke were loaded into the catapults.<p>

"Ptolemaios, launch preparations complete. Increasing linear catapult voltage from 230 to 520. Stargazer stabilised with linear field. Transferring timing control to Stargazer." Mileina said. In his cockpit, Divine gripped the controls.

"Roger, I have control. Stargazer, Divine Divinity, launching!" Divine shouted, pushing the controls forward. The Stargazer rocketed forward, flying out of the catapult as its GN Ring engaged, its outer edge glowing with GN particles. Meanwhile, Artemis prepared for his launch. Mileina went through the same procedure, skipping the timing control transfer. Being a non-Gundam mobile suit, the Duke had to be launched by the crew, and not Artemis himself. The Duke shot forward, its main thruster streaming red/orange GN Tau particles, as Artemis joined up with Divine, before the two suits headed towards the target area.

* * *

><p>Soon after launching, the Stargazer and Duke arrived at the designated coordinates that Wan Liu Mei's message had specified. Divine and Artemis halted, the two suits hovering in the air as the pilots scanned the skies. Divine strained, but even his eyesight wasn't seeing anything.<p>

"I don't see the transport anywhere. Artemis, you see anything?" Divine asked.

"Not yet. Hold on, let me try something. Artemis replied. As he spoke, he deployed the Advanced Communications Antenna, increasing his sensor range. After a few sweeps, the scanner detected the transport.

"Anything?" Divine asked.

"Yes, I found the transport, it's 100 kilometres south of our position. I'm also detecting what looks like five mobile suits 150 kilometres southwest of us. It looks like they're trying to intercept it." Artemis replied.

"Good, now we know where the fight is. Let's go." Divine replied. The two pilots flew forward again, adjusting their course to head off the mobile suits before they found the vulnerable transport. After a few minutes, they spotted the mobile suits on the horizon. But for some reason Divine only counted four suits approaching them.

"Artemis, I'm only seeing four mobile suits! Keep an eye out for that other one!" Divine shouted, as he fired a long-range shot from the GN Ring. The beam streaked towards the A-LAWS mobile suits, destroying the only one that failed to evade in time. Divine charged forward, GN Sword IIs drawn, as the other three suits began their attack. Artemis was only half watching the fight, still on the lookout for the fifth mobile suit he'd detected earlier. Suddenly, a burst of particle beams came out of nowhere, just barely missing the Duke Artemis spun around to face his attacker, drawing the GN Particle Beam Sword. To his surprise, he spotted Ali Al-Saachez's red mobile suit closing fast, its GN Fangs already deployed.

"_So, it's you again! I'm going to pay you back for last time, punk!" _Ali shouted, sending the GN Fangs zipping towards the Duke. Artemis charged forward, simultaneously deploying the GN Vulcans. As the Fangs screamed in, the Vulcans automatically opened fire, their barrels spewing out a rain of small particle beams. At the same time, Artemis slashed at any Fangs that came within range of his sword. Suddenly, one Fang managed to fire a shot into the Duke's main thruster from behind. At the same time, the other remaining Fangs fired on the simultaneously from all sides. The hail of particle beam wasn't doing any serious damage, but it was throwing the Duke around so violently that Artemis couldn't focus and attempt a counterattack.

"Damn it! I won't lose!" Artemis yelled. Suddenly, his eyes began glowing yellow; the mark of an Innovator. Gripping the controls, Artemis boosted forwards abruptly, breaking out of the circling Fangs. As the Fangs flew towards him, Artemis fired the GN Vulcans and GN Beam Cannons at once. The multitude of particle beams destroyed most of the Fangs, leaving two more. Artemis charged forward, bringing out the GN Beam Swords. As he passed the two Fangs, he stuck the Duke's arms out to each side, the beam swords slicing through the last two Fangs, destroying them. Shifting his attention, Artemis just barely managed to block Ali Al-Saachez's Buster Sword with his own blades, as the mercenary attacked ferociously. The two suits exchanged blow after blow, both pilots determined to be the one to get the first strike. Eventually, Artemis spotted his opening. Just as Ali raised his sword to try and end it, Artemis lunged forward, stabbing the left-hand GN Beam Sword into the suit's right shoulder. He quickly followed through with his attack, doing the same to the other shoulder, before slicing off both arms. The red mobile suit broke away, sparks cascading from its severed shoulders.

"_Argh, damn you! Time for me to leave!" _Ali shouted, preparing to launch his suit's Core Fighter again like last time.

"Not this time! You won't escape!" Artemis shouted, switching back to the GN Beam Cannons. As soon as the red Core Fighter launched, it was met by a barrage of orange particle beams from the Duke. The ship immediately transformed into a fireball, dropping rapidly towards the earth.

"_That's what you deserve, bastard." _Artemis thought. "Divine, what's your situation?"

"We're all clear on my end. How about you?" Divine replied.

"Target destroyed. I guess we should probably head back now, I'm not detecting anymore mobile suits." Artemis answered.

"Nice work, let's head home." Divine replied. Artemis nodded, heading back to link up with Divine. Once the Duke and Stargazer regrouped, the two suits headed back to the Ptolemaios while Divine reported the mission's success back to the ship. After a few minutes of silence Divine spoke up.

"Artemis, which mobile suit was it that you fought?" he asked. A few moments of silence followed before he got his answer.

"It was Ali Al-Saachez, but this time I didn't let him get away. He won't be a problem any longer." Artemis replied calmly. But inside, Artemis was totally confused. He'd finally done it; he'd killed the man who murdered Kinue Crossroad. He should be happy, right? So...why did he feel so conflicted?

"Well, I guess you fulfilled your promise then, didn't you?" Divine asked.

"Yeah. I guess so." Artemis replied. Divine could tell just from his voice. Artemis was clearly unable to work out why he felt not happiness towards his actions. Divine had seen it before.

"So, which is it?" Divine asked.

"Hm? What do you mean?" Artemis asked, confused by the cryptic question.

"They say that when a person finally kills a sworn enemy, that person is going to feel one of two things; relief or regret. So, which is going to be for you?" Divine asked. Artemis thought about what Divine had just told him. It made perfect sense; relief for finding closure, or regret, for the losing the reason that drove one to fight on. As he thought, Artemis realised that now, he wouldn't have to focus on trying to kill one man. He was free to do whatever he chose to do, like fighting back against the A-LAWS in retribution for their acts.

"I'd have to say relief." Artemis replied, his voice conveying a sense of slight satisfaction in its tone.

"That's good to hear. Now let's get back before Sumeragi decides to leave without us." Divine joked, as he two pilots continued their return.

* * *

><p>A short time later, the two mobile suits had returned to the Ptolemaios. After loading the suits onboard, the ship headed back into space to hopefully avoid any direct confrontations with the A-LAWS, who would no doubt attempt to chase down the ship and the Gundams on board. After their suits had been secured, Artemis and Divine headed over to the mission room for their debriefing. Once there, Sumeragi had them explain what had happened while the rest of the crew listened.<p>

"So Artemis, this mobile suit you fought, was it him again?" Sumeragi asked. Everyone in the room knew who 'he' was, and they were all listening intently.

"Yes, although I have to admit, it wasn't as easy as last time." Artemis replied. The others looked at Saji, almost sensing what he was about to say.

"Artemis, did he get away again?" Saji asked. Despite his calm voice, his expression was a mixture of hate, grief and a faint hint of anticipation.

"Don't worry, Saji. He's gone for good now." Artemis replied. Saji nodded briefly, then stepped back. He clearly needed some time to think and process this revelation; that his sister's killer had finally been dealt the justice that he deserved.

* * *

><p><strong>Thus ends my longest chapter yet, sitting at a record total of 3,486 words (not including the words in bold print). Hope you like it. Please review, especially on Artemis and Mileina's 1<strong>**st**** kiss.**


	6. Chapter 4: Tested in Fire

**Sorry for the long wait. I've been without internet access for the past few days, as I've been busy helping my Dad out with antifouling our boat (if you don't know what antifouling is, it's a special kind of paint that goes on the part of a boat's hull that sits below the water to prevent things from growing on it) but I've been working on the chapter in my spare time. Also, in response to one of my reviewers, I've made a great effort to incorporate a chapter that isn't focused on any battles (although the next chapter will be!).**

* * *

><p>Chapter 4: Tested in Fire.<p>

Following Divine and Artemis' mission, Sumeragi decided that their best course of action was to head back into space immediately. Celestial Being needed time to sift through their information and work out what their next course of action should be. While Artemis and Divine were partway through their mission, the crew back aboard the Ptolemaios had learned that the Earth Sphere Federation had placed its entire army under the direct control of the A-LAWS, in response to the second Memento Mori's destruction. Realising that the stakes had been raised significantly against them, everyone agreed they needed to move fast and make a move before the A-LAWS found the ship again.

"So Tieria, did you find anything helpful?" Sumeragi asked.

"Yes. It took longer than I expected, but I did manage to find some information that should shed some light on the situation." Tieria replied. "According to the records, the 0 Gundam was active in the year 2295 A.D. and did perform an armed intervention. After some checking, I was able to discover that Artemis' parents were in the area at the time of the intervention. Based on Artemis' age, he would've been conceived only a few days before. My guess is that the 0 Gundam's Particle Wings engulfed whichever building Artemis' parents were inside of. Because Artemis was still a foetus at the time, his DNA code was dramatically altered by the GN particles, causing him to develop as a purebred Innovator."

"Well that answers that question. But still, it doesn't explain how he's managed to defeat two pilots with so much more experience and training. Granted, the Duke has demonstrated performance levels on par with the Gundams, but that alone isn't enough of an explanation." Sumeragi wondered. Graham Aker and Ali Al-Saachez were both aces in their own right, with a lot of experience fighting the Gundams and many other battles besides. Based on all of the evidence, Artemis should've been defeated not long into each battle.

"Well, it's just a theory, but I think I might have an idea. I believe that, as a born Innovator, Artemis' brain may be able to unconsciously learn an opponent's fighting style and techniques in battle and then Artemis adjusts his own fighting style to counter, whether he knows it or not. It's basically the same process as the way humans learn how to do anything sort of task; figuring out how to accomplish the task, then adjusting and perfecting the method as they go. The only difference here is that Artemis is doing this subconsciously and in a split second. I seriously doubt that even Veda could process information that fast." Tieria explained. Sumeragi nodded. The Innovade's reasoning made complete sense. It perfectly explained why Artemis was able to defeat Ali Al-Saachez, having only fought him once before. He'd analysed the mercenary's brute force technique, then found a way to slip through his defence and defeat him quickly, giving Ali Al-Saachez no time to react.

"In that case, Artemis may prove to be our trump card against the Innovators. To their knowledge, Setsuna is the only one who poses a threat to them, given that they are aware of his becoming an Innovator. They won't be expecting another, much less a pilot that learns their moves in mid-battle. That combined with the fact that the Duke's beam sabers can not only penetrate GN Fields, but can also cut through other beam sabers as well. The best part is that, since the Duke was developed in secret, Veda has no information on it." Sumeragi replied. "But for now, onto more pressing matters. Tieria, you know far more about our opponents than anyone else aboard this ship. So what do you think we should do next?" Tieria's response was not long in coming. He'd been deliberating withy himself on the issue for the past few weeks. Given the fact that, with the A-LAWS and regular Federation forces at their disposal, the Innovators held a powerful card in their hand, Celestial Being needed a plan that would end the struggle quickly, before the enemy decided to overwhelm them with sheer force of numbers.

"Given the current situation, I believe our best move would be to try and retake Veda from the Innovators. If we can seize control of Veda, not only will the Innovators lose their greatest asset, but the Federation would also be unable to control information. We could finally let the world know about what the A-LAWS have really been doing under the guise of protecting the interests of peace. It won't be too difficult, I can easily access Veda. The problem is that I have no idea where Veda is located. Only the Innovators know where it is, and I doubt any of them would tell us, even if we did capture one." Tieria replied.

"Well, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. For now, let's focus on getting the Ptolemaios and the Gundams back to full strength. We've still got a tough battle to fight." Sumeragi said.

* * *

><p>"<em>So, now that bastard Ali Al-Saachez is finally dead and gone. It feels great knowing I can finally set that burden aside for good. Still, I wonder what's going to happen now. As far as I know, we still have no idea on how to stop the A-LAWS from continuing with their attacks on anyone they label as anti-government forces. Well, I guess it doesn't matter. From what I've learnt about him, Tieria's probably got something in the works. I just need to be ready when we make our next move." <em>Artemis thought as he lay on his bunk, staring up at the ceiling. Since he'd come back from his mission, Artemis had noticed a subtle change in the atmosphere on board the Ptolemaios. Everyone now seemed to treat him as a friend, rather than a stranger who could potentially be an enemy. In particular, Artemis found himself getting along with Setsuna quite well. He'd been a bit shocked to learn about Setsuna's past as a child soldier for the KPSA during the Kingdom of Azadistan's invasion of the Republic of Krugis. Perhaps the fact that both of them had been scarred by war so long ago explained why, for some inexplicable reason, they felt driven to resist them oppression of the Earth Sphere Federation and the A-LAWS. Suddenly, the sound of a faint knocking on the door roused Artemis from his reverie.

"Artemis, it's me, Mileina. Can I come in?" Mileina asked, her voice slightly muffled by the armoured door.

"Sure, it's unlocked." Artemis replied. He thought he heard a faint squeal, then the door slid open, just as Mileina flew into the room, careening into Artemis and sending them both into the wall. Artemis grunted slightly from the two sudden impacts, while Mileina nuzzled her head under his chin. Artemis blushed profusely at the sudden display of affection, despite his best efforts.

"_What's wrong with me? I can kiss her just fine, but all she has to do is this and I can't even form a coherent sentence? Come on mind, work with me here!" _Artemis thought, wrapping his arms around the slightly hyper girl as she continued using him as a human-sized pillow. After a few more minutes, and to Artemis' relief, Mileina released him, allowing Artemis to collect himself.

"So Artemis, are you busy at all right now?" Mileina asked, clasping her hands behind her back, a mischievous smile gracing her features. Artemis blushed again at her actions.

"Uh n-no, n-not really. It's kind of boring right now, actually." Artemis replied, his voice shaky. _"Damn, she's so cute! I need to focus!"_

"Great! I wanted to show you something! Come on!" Mileina exclaimed, grabbing Artemis' wrist firmly before pulling him out of the room. Artemis protested at first, but Mileina gave him a stern glare that instantly caused him to shut up. Artemis sighed. Mileina really knew how to keep him in line. Hopefully it would get easier for him later on. After a short while, the two teens arrived at another of the many identical doors on the Ptolemaios. Artemis had no idea how the crew could find their way around the ship, even though by military standards it wasn't enormous. Artemis was glad that he'd always had a photographic memory, or he'd have gotten lost many, many times already.

"Here we are!" Mileina said, as she opened the door before proceeding to haul Artemis through it after her. After Mileina finally released her iron grip on his wrist, Artemis could finally have a look at where she'd dragged him. They were floating in one of the ship's three hangers, with the Duke and the 00 Gundam looming in front of them. The 0 Raiser was also there, in front of which was another mobile suit that was unfamiliar to Artemis. The suit was mostly white, with a white and red-trimmed shield mounted on its left arm. The torso was mostly blue and yellow, the hatch for the cockpit in the lower torso rather than in the chest. In the suit's right hand was a simple beam rifle, while a single beam saber could be seen just above the cone of the GN Drive. Compared to the other Gundams, and even the Duke, the suit looked rather old-fashioned alongside its clearly more modern counterparts.

"Hey Mileina, is this what you wanted to show me?" Artemis asked, indicating the mobile suit he was looking at.

"Sure is." Mileina responded, gently puling Artemis over to the suit. "This is GN-000, the 0 Gundam. It was the first GN-powered mobile suit ever created. All of the other Gundams were developed from this suit." Artemis was blown away. All of the Gundams, machines decades ahead of their time with power and abilities like nothing else on the battlefield, all had their roots in this one mobile suit.

"Wow. So, what's it doing here?" Artemis asked. If what Mileina said was true, then the 0 Gundam, despite being a Gundam-type, was very outdated even compared to the A-LAWS mobile suits, even though the latter were powered only by pseudo GN Drives. So why send it into battle against much newer machines, whose pilots already had experience dealing with the Gundams?

"Well, mostly because we're probably going to need all the firepower we can get in the coming battles. The only problem was that the 0 Gundam's GN Drive was removed so it could be used in the 00 Gundam. Luckily, my dad found one of the prototype GN Drives back at Lagrange 3. All it needed were some minor adjustments, but now it's as powerful as the other solar reactors." Mileina explained.

"I see. But who's going to pilot it?" Artemis asked. Mileina giggled, before pointing to herself.

"Yours truly! Who else?" she exclaimed.

"A-Are you sure?" Artemis asked, his voice uneasy.

"Yeah, so? Is that a problem?" Mileina asked, her smile turning into a frown.

"Well, it's just that...I don't want you fighting. It's too dangerous! You could get killed!" Artemis protested. He was horrified at the prospect of losing Mileina. He'd already lost two people he cared about. He wasn't about to let another die as well.

"I don't care if it is! I want to fight to, what's wrong with that?" Mileina shouted, her voice rising with anger.

"It's that I'm the one who's supposed to protect you!" Artemis shouted. As soon as he saw the look in Mileina's eyes, Artemis instantly regretted his words. Mileina drew her hand back, before slapping Artemis across the face as hard as she could, sending him into the nearby railing. Artemis grabbed onto the railing to steady himself, his cheek red from the impact.

"You...you JERK! If you can't even trust me to take care of myself or you in battle then how could you possibly trust me any further?" Mileina screamed. Her face was now wet, her tears floating around her as more and more joined them. She pushed past Artemis and ran from the hanger, leaving a trail of tears and sobbing in her wake. All Artemis could was watch and listen to her distant crying, mentally berating himself for being such an idiot.

* * *

><p>"<em>Man, I really screwed that one up." <em>Artemis thought. He was back in his room, unable to get his mind off his fight with Mileina in the hangar. He understood where she was coming from, she just wanted to fight with him and help protect her friends rather than be stuck on the ship, unable to do anything but watch the battle. But despite that, Artemis didn't want to risk losing her in battle. It was easier when she was on the Ptolemaios, where she was easier to keep an eye on. If she was fighting as well, Artemis wouldn't be able to protect and fight at the same time. _"Why couldn't I just tell her why I don't want her to fight. Maybe then she'd at least understand what I meant." _Suddenly there was a knock on the door, which opened as Lockon floated into the room.

"Hey, heard you and Mileina had a little argument earlier." He said sympathetically.

"Hey Lockon. Yeah, and now she's mad at me." Artemis replied, still feeling slightly depressed. Lockon smiled slightly, before taking a seat.

"And know you're trying to figure out how to apologise to her, right?" he asked knowingly. Artemis nodded in response. "Okay, well tell me what happened, then maybe I can help a little." Lockon offered. Figuring he had nothing better to do, Artemis proceeded to explain what had happened. Lockon listened intently, nodding to indicate his understanding, as the explanation ran its course.

"…and now I just don't know what to say. I mean I get what she's saying, but…" Artemis continued, trailing off.

"…but you're afraid of losing her, correct?" Lockon asked. Artemis nodded, murmuring a faint response. "I know what you're dealing with, buddy. I lost both of my parents back when I was still a kid in a terrorist bombing. And now that I have Anew, I'm afraid that I'll lose her as well. Thankfully for me, Anew's fine with staying in the ship when we go into battle. The problem you've got is that Mileina wants to fight and she now has the means to do it as well. You just have to accept that she's going to fight no matter what you say or do. The best thing you can do right now is to let her do what she wants. If you want to protect her, then fight with her, not against her." Lockon explained. Artemis was, to say the least, a little surprised. How could he have been so blind? He should've realised that Mileina would fight despite knowing the huge risks involved. She was afraid of losing him, just as Artemis was afraid of losing her. If they fought together, then they would have nothing to worry about and could help protect each other.

"I guess you're right. If she really wants to help, then I shouldn't try to stop her. Thanks, Lockon." Artemis replied.

"No problem. Just try not to screw up again, okay?" Lockon remarked, before making his exit. Artemis quickly left the room as well, his mind focused on finding Mileina and sorting things out between them.

* * *

><p>A short while later, Artemis had ended up standing outside the door to Mileina's room. The reason he hadn't tried it in the first was that he thought it too obvious that Mileina would simply lock herself in her room.<p>

"_Well, better get this over with and try to make up with her. If I don't, her father's going to kill me." _Artemis thought, sighing in defeat. When Ian had learned what happened, he'd chewed Artemis out for a good ten minutes, lecturing him about how much of an idiot he was and mostly yelling at him for hurting his daughter like that. With slight trepidation, Artemis gingerly knocked on the door, but for some reason there was no response. Artemis knocked again, slightly harder this time.

"Go away." Mileina replied, her voice muffled by the closed door. Artemis felt his heart ache slightly with guilt. Although she was clearly trying to hide it, Mileina's voice betrayed the fact that she'd been crying for a while. Artemis couldn't bear the fact that he'd caused such a sweet and innocent girl to cry so much, all because he'd been so stubborn and thick-headed.

"Mileina please, just listen. I'm really sorry about before. I should've listened to you...and explained myself better. So please, just hear me out at least." Artemis asked. There was a moment of silence, then the door slid open, revealing Mileina, her eyes red from crying, dried tears staining her face.

"I'm listening." She replied softly.

"Mileina, I'm sorry about what I said earlier. It's just that...ever since my father died, I've been completely alone, with no one else to comfort me. But when I met you, I was so happy. I knew I wouldn't be alone anymore. The only reason I don't want you to fight...is that I can't bear the thought of losing you. I've already lost all of my family, I don't want to risk anyone else close to me dying ever again, not when there's something I can do to prevent it. But I understand that you want to help as much as you can and I'm okay with that. I just want you to stay safe, okay?" Artemis told her. Mileina slowly started to smile, before she wrapped her arms around Artemis' neck, hugging herself to him, crying softly.

"Artemis…I'm sorry too. I should've listened to you, not shut you out because I was too stubborn to try and understand what you were saying.. But...promise me one thing." She replied., gazing up into Artemis' eyes.

"Anything." Artemis replied, his arms encircling Mileina's slim waist.

"Promise that you'll trust...no matter what." She continued.

"I promise. I never want to see you cry ever again." Artemis agreed.

"Artemis..."

"Mileina..." The two slowly drifted closer, before their lips met. It wasn't an especially passionate kiss, but one that held much more warmth and love, proving the strength of the bond between the two young lovers. After a few brief, passion-filled moments, the two broke apart, both of their faces slightly flushed. It was the first time either of them had ever put such emotion into a single act of caring for anyone, so naturally they were slightly surprised.

"That was…" Mileina gasped, staring into Artemis' eyes, which appeared to shine like quicksilver in the light.

"I guess we're getting better at doing this." Artemis remarked, one of his hands lightly caressing Mileina's back. She shivered ever so slightly at the gentle touches, pressing herself against Artemis in an effort to eliminate any more space between them. Artemis continued to gently massage Mileina's back, enjoying the sensations as she moaned softly against his chest. Eventually the two decided to stop, lest someone should hear Mileina's moan and think that something more intimate was taking place.

"So, what now?" Mileina asked, her face still flushed. Inside she was replaying the past few minutes in her head, remembering the feel of Artemis' hands gently rubbing her back.

"We should probably go and find Lockon. I should thank him." Artemis replied.

"For what?" Mileina asked, a confused look on her face. Artemis let out a nervous laugh., rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

"Well, let's just say he gave me a well-deserved kick in the ass. If it weren't for him, I'd probably still be in my room trying to figure out how to apologise to you." Artemis admitted.

"Well it sounds like I owe him a thank you too." Mileina giggled, as she followed Artemis through the corridor. They decided that Lockon was most likely in either; his room, one of the hangers, or the break room. Since they were already nearby, Mileina suggested they try the break room first. Artemis followed her as she led the way through the ship . After a little while, the two teens arrived outside the room. As the entered the room, Artemis and Mileina were stunned, their jaws dropping at what they saw. Divine was seated in one of the chairs, with Sumeragi straddling his legs, the two of them kissing like there was going to be no tomorrow. They were so caught up in what they were doing that they clearly hadn't heard the door open, or Artemis and Mileina entering the room. The two teens were speechless, until Mileina squealed in excitement, causing Divine and Sumeragi to break apart and immediately separate, before turning to face the other two.

"So, you guys ARE lovers! I knew it!" Mileina exclaimed, ecstatic that her female intuition had been correct yet again. Divine and Sumeragi blushed heavily at the young girl's words, embarrassed at being caught in the act.

"Fine, I guess the secret's out." Sumeragi admitted.

"So just how long have you two been making out behind our backs?" Mileina inquired.

"I could ask you two the same thin g." Sumeragi countered. Mileina's face immediately showed the same look that Sumeragi's had been showing moments earlier while Artemis laughed nervously, both of them blushing.

"Pretty much since I got here." He replied. Mileina blushed even more, while Sumeragi smirked mischievously.

"Well, well, it looks like little Miss Female Intuition has finally fallen in, love herself. So, what's it been like so far?" the forecaster asked.

"Pretty good. Although…we had a fight earlier. Artemis wasn't too happy about me wanting to fight, but we've worked it out now." Mileina explained, looping her arm through Artemis' own.

"Well, it looks like you'll be just fine then. They say your first battle is always the toughest. I think it's safe to assume the same principle applies to love as well as war." Divine said, putting his arm around Sumeragi's waist. Sumeragi in turn rested her head against his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat. Sensing that the two adults wanted to be left alone, Artemis gently guided Mileina outside, into the corridor again.

"Well that was the last thing I expected to see in there." Artemis remarked. Mileina giggled slightly before pushing her body up against his, causing Artemis to blush at their close proximity.

"Anyway, we still need to find Lockon. Come on, let's get going already." Mileina insisted. Artemis nodded, as they headed off to resume their earlier search for the helpful sniper.

* * *

><p>A few minutes later, Artemis and Mileina finally ran into Lockon while he was talking with Anew in one of the rooms. The two thanked the sniper for his advice, to which Lockon insisted that he was just trying to help out a friend. He and Anew were quite surprised when Artemis and Mileina told them about Divine and Sumeragi. Clearly the others had been completely unaware of the relationship which had been taking place behind their backs. Afterwards, Artemis and Mileina went their separate ways. Mileina said she was going to run a few simulated battles in the 0 Gundam to get some practice, while Artemis decided to head back to his room for a little rest. Turning a corner, Artemis suddenly found himself in front of Tieria.<p>

"Ah, Artemis. There you are." Tieria said.

"Hey Tieria, is something wrong?" Artemis asked.

"No, it's nothing like that. I've been looking for you. There's something I've discovered that I think you should know." Tieria explained.

"What?" Artemis asked, immediately interested. In the short time he'd been aboard the Ptolemaios, Artemis had quickly learned that whenever Tieria had something to say, it was more often than not important in some way.

"I'll explain. But first, follow me please." The purple-haired meister replied. Artemis followed Tieria through a few corridors, before the two entered the briefing room.

"So, what did you want to tell me?" Artemis asked.

"I was just about to explain. I was taking a look at you recent battles with us, when something struck me as odd. From what I've seen, so far you've gone up against two highly skilled ace pilots, both with far more combat experience than yourself. And yet you've managed to defeat both of them with relative ease. Now, based on the fact that you've only been fight for a matter of weeks, there were only a few theories that could have explained this. After a little digging, I've determined the cause of your exceptional abilities. Artemis, you are in fact an Innovator." Tieria explained.

"Innovator?" Artemis asked.

"It's understandable that you don't know what that term means. Innovators are humans who have evolved to be able to use quantum brainwaves. In many ways they are similar to the Human Reform League's Super Soldiers, except the process is different. Whereas Super Soldiers are created through extensive surgery other such conditioning, humans evolve into Innovators after being exposed to highly concentrated GN particles, usually from one of the Gundams." Tieria replied.

"But then how did I become an Innovator? I've never been near a Gundam before." Artemis wondered.

"That was what I couldn't work out. There's no record of a Gundam ever being near New Zealand since they were created. It turns out that your parents were in an area overseas when the 0 Gundam was performing in intervention in the same location. Based on the time this took place, you were still inside your mother at the time, only a few days old as a matter of fact. As a result, the GN particles from the 0 Gundam had a much greater effect on you than they would have if you had been say, five years old. Because of this, you have some abilities that Setsuna lacks, even though he's also an Innovator.

"Such as…?" Artemis inquired.

"Well for example, I'm sure you've noticed your memory is perfect, allowing you to remember virtually everything you've ever experienced? Also, there's one other ability you possess which accounts for you rapid growth as a pilot. It seems that you brain is able to learn and take in information at an incredibly fast rate. As a result, every time you go into battle, you are subconsciously learning how your enemies fight and adjusting your own techniques to counter them." Tieria continued.

"Wow." Artemis gasped. To say he was shocked was an understatement. He'd always felt he was different from other people, but this? This wasn't what he'd expected at all.

"Artemis, Are you alright?" Tieria asked, his voice sounding concerned,

"Yeah, it's just a lot to take in." Artemis admitted.

"Well, there's one other thing I learned but…are you sure you want to hear it? It's not very pleasant." Tieria asked.

"Yes." Artemis replied with certainty.

"Very well then. When I said that you evolved into an Innovator as a result of the 0 Gundam's GN particles, I left out something. From I was able to ascertain, your mother was affected in the same way, but not as much as you. It turns out that when someone is born as an Innovator, there is a sudden and violent surge in their quantum brainwaves, which can affect anyone else in the vicinity that also uses quantum brainwaves. Sadly, when you were born, your mother's brain couldn't cope with the surge that came from you, effectively short circuiting it." Tieria explained.

"But, then that means…"Artemis gasped.

"Yes, your mother died because of it. I'm sorry, but I thought you at least deserved to know why she died." Tieria replied, his expression sad.

"Thanks, that's all I needed to hear." Artemis said.

"Artemis…" Tieria replied softly.

"I've been blaming myself for what happened ever since I can remember. But Mileina made me realise that it wasn't my fault my mother died. Even with what I know now, it doesn't change anything. There's nothing I could've done to prevent it happening either way. Besides, I know that neither of my parents would want me to blame myself for what happened to them. There's no sense in getting caught up in the past. I'm better off trying to change the future." Artemis said, his voice filled with determination.

"I'm glad to hear that, Artemis. That's the kind of attitude that allows a person to change the world." Tieria replied. Artemis was about to thank him when his comlink bleeped.

"Artemis here." He answered.

"_Artemis, it's Ian. I need you to come to Hangar 3. I need your help with something." _ Ian said.

"Sure. I'll be their soon." Artemis replied, before closing the link. "Well, I should probably get going."

"Very well. I'll see you later then." Tieria replied. Artemis nodded, as he exited the briefing room and headed for Hangar 3.

"_I wonder what Ian wants? I hope he's not still mad at me." _Artemis thought, as he arrived at the hangar. Once inside, he immediately spotted Ian over by the Duke. Behind the suit was a crane of some kind, with a large cylindrical device in its grasp.

"I'm here." Artemis called out, as he floated over to Ian, who turned around at the greeting.

"Good, that was quick." Ian replied.

"So, what did you want me for?" Artemis asked.

"Well, according to Miss Sumeragi, our plan is to try and retake Veda from the Innovators. For that, we'll need as much power as we can get. So what I suggested was swapping out the Duke's GN Tau Drive for the Ptolemaios' GN Drive. With it, the Duke should be more than a match for whatever mobile suits the Innovators have." Ian explained.

"Are you sure. What about the Ptolemaios?" Artemis asked.

"Don't worry. The Ptolemaios mostly uses the Gundams to power it. When we go into battle, we'll rely solely on the GN Condensers. The only drawback is that we won't be able to fire our cannons as much. But we can compensate for that. The reason I called you is because I don't know the first thing about this suit, so I need your help to swap the drives."

"Okay, well let's get started." Artemis replied.

* * *

><p>A short time later, elsewhere on the ship, Anew was relaxing in her room after a lengthy conversation with Lockon, when she felt a sudden pain lance through her head.<p>

"AGH!" she cried, gripping her head between her hands.

"_At last I've found you again…Anew Returner." _Said a voice in her head.

"R-Ribbons Almark…?" Anew gasped in confusion.

"_I'm so glad you remember me after all this time, Anew. It's time that you did something useful for. However, I'm afraid I'll be borrowing your body for a short while." _Ribbons replied. Anew found herself powerless, as Ribbons forced his way into her mind and took control of her body.

"_Lockon…please…help me." _Anew thought, as her world went dark. Meanwhile her body, now under Ribbons' control, left the room, headed to another part of the ship.

"_I need to capture the Twin Drive Gundam, but to do that I'm going to need…a bargaining chip." _Ribbons thought, as he guided Anew's body through the ship. After a quick search, he spotted Feldt a short distance away.

"_Perfect." _Ribbons thought, floating over to the unsuspecting operator. Feldt was caught completely off guard when she found her arms forced behind her back. She turned her head to find Anew holding her, a gun in her free hand.

"Anew, what are you-?" she started, before Anew put the gun against her head.

"**Anew's not home right now. My name is Ribbons Almark, and you're going to help me with retrieving something important." **Anew replied, her voice strangely different. Feldt's eyes widened in horror, as Ribbons pushed her through the corridor. Eventually they arrived outside the hangar where the 00 Gundam and 0 Raiser were stored. As they entered, Feldt was relieved to see Artemis and Ian working on the Duke.

"Ian! Artemis!" she cried out, before Ribbons pressed the gun harder against her head.

"Feldt? Anew, what are you doing?" Artemis demanded, seeing the gun easily. Anew laughed in response, her voice clearly not the same.

"**I'm afraid you're terribly mistaken. Anew is…not in control right now. I am Ribbons Almark, and I'll be taking the Twin Drive Gundam now, if you don't mind." **Ribbons replied, floating over to the 00 Gundam.

"Ian, do what he says. We can't risk Feldt's life like this." Artemis said.

"You're right." Ian admitted grudgingly, as he opened the 00 Gundam's hatch. But just as Ribbons was about to enter the cockpit with Feldt, Artemis tackled him from behind, allowing Feldt to slip free, as Artemis and Ribbons struggled for control of the gun. Suddenly a shot rang out, the bullet grazing Artemis' right shoulder. Artemis grunted from the pain, bending Anew's hand back, forcing Ribbons to release his hold on the gun.

"Sorry, but you've overstayed your welcome. Now let Anew go!" Artemis shouted, his eyes glowing yellow. Suddenly Ribbons felt another presence enter Anew's mind, forcing him out. Anew's body went limp in Artemis' arms, as his eyes returned to normal. Just then, the rest of the crew, alerted by the gunshot, stormed into the hangar.

"What happened? We heard a shot." Lasse asked.

"Artemis! You're hurt!" Mileina exclaimed, rushing over to her boyfriend's side.

"It's just a scratch. Don't worry, I'll be fine." Artemis insisted, as Mileina held him tightly.

* * *

><p>Later, the entire crew was gathered in the briefing room, as Artemis and Feldt explained what had happened before the others arrived.<p>

"So, he can even take control of other Innovades remotely. It makes sense that Ribbons would want to steal the 00 Gundam. After all, he knows nothing about it, other than it's incredibly powerful." Tieria said.

"Wait, so Anew is with them?" Lockon exclaimed.

"Yes and no. While Anew may be an Innovade, from what I've seen she is on our side. If she wasn't, this would've happened a long time ago." Tieria explained.

"Well, what I don't understand is how Artemis was able to force Ribbons out like that." Mileina said.

"It's because he was born as an Innovator. He was able to use his quantum brainwaves to force Ribbons out of Anew's mind. The fact that he was right next to her, while Ribbons is a great distance away, meant that he had a much greater influence." Tieria explained.

"Well, I'm just glad everything turned out okay. Ian, what's the status of the Duke?" Sumeragi asked.

"We've finished the installation of the Ptolemaios' GN Drive and everything seems to be working fine. It's good to go." Ian replied.

"Good, because we've just received information from Wang Liu Mei on Veda's location. Everyone, you'd better get ready. We're moving out soon." Sumeragi announced. Everyone nodded, before they dispersed, with the meisters heading for the hangars, while the rest headed for the bridge.

* * *

><p><strong>And it's finally finished! My longest chapter yet, with a grand total of 5,811 words, excluding the bold type and the chapter heading. Hope you all enjoyed it. Next chapter, the final battle between the Innovators and Celestial Being!<strong>


	7. Chapter 5: A Knight's Power

**Sorry to keep you guys waiting, but I wanted to make sure I got the battle in this chapter done right. Anyway, without further ado, I present chapter five! Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Chapter 5: A Knight's Power.<p>

A few hours later, the crew, minus Lasse, was gathered in the briefing room. Sumeragi had announced that she wanted to go over their plan of attack before the ship arrived at the location that Wang Liu Mei had sent them. Also, now that they had the 0 Gundam ready for combat and the Duke was now powered by a true GN Drive, they needed to ensure that they utilised their resources effectively.

"Okay people, I'm going to go over the mission plan for retaking Veda from the Innovators, so listen up and listen good. Thanks to Wang Liu Mei's information, we now know that Veda is located inside a deep-space class mothership, codenamed _Celestial Being_, which also serves as the Innovators' base. The ship utilises optical camouflage and is hidden behind the moon. We know for certain that the AL-LAWS will be the first wave of resistance. Once we get past them, our objective is to infiltrate the ship and locate Veda. As Tieria is the only one who can access Veda, that task will fall to him." Sumeragi explained.

"Roger that." Tieria replied.

"Good. Now then, moving on. Once we get within visual range of the enemy, Cherudim , Arios-Archer, Stargazer, Seravee and 00 Raiser will launch to engage the enemy forces." Sumeragi continued.

"But Miss Noriega! What about me and Artemis?" Mileina asked.

"The Duke and 0 Gundam will remain aboard the Ptolemaios for several reasons. One is that because the ship no longer has its own GN Drive, we need you to be able to operate effectively during the battle. Also, the enemy has no idea of the changes we've made to the Duke or of the fact that we now have the 0 Gundam operational as well. This should give us an edge in the coming battle if and when you two have to launch." Sumeragi explained to the young girl. Mileina pouted the same way she usually did, before latching onto Artemis, who blushed lightly.

"Fine, roger that." She replied grudgingly. Artemis nodded in agreement.

"All right, people! We still have a couple of hours before we begin the operation, so take care of anything that you have to do in that time, dismissed!" Sumeragi announced. Everyone agreed, and then they all dispersed to do whatever they had to before the fighting started.

* * *

><p>An hour later, Artemis and Mileina were busy running through some combat simulation in their mobile suits. This time they were practicing fighting together, learning to co-ordinate their attacks effectively and watching each other's backs. The two had decided that Artemis, given his experience and skill as an Innovator would lead, while Mileina supported him. The 0 Gundam's Particle Wings proved themselves to be valuable asset. Mileina could manipulate the wings so that, if 0 Gundam flew right behind the Duke, she could shield both suits from a head-on attack, then Artemis could close in and launch a close quarters strike. Just as they were finishing up, Divine stuck his head into the Duke's cockpit.<p>

"Seriously, you're still at it? You should probably relax while you can, you know." He said jokingly.

"Yeah well, Mileina and I need practice fighting as a team. I guess we lost track of time." Artemis admitted, as he climbed out of the Duke. He was immediately greeted by Mileina latching onto his arm again, as she frequently did.

"Well then, I can see you two are still busy. I'll be on my way then." Divine replied, as he turned to leave.

"Actually Divine, there's something I've been meaning to ask you about." Artemis said, causing Divine to stop and turn back towards the two teens.

"Well then, ask away." He replied cheerfully.

"I'll understand if this comes off as a bit personal, but how did you end up with Celestial Being? I know how the other meisters joined, but I never got a chance to ask you before." Artemis explained.

"Ah, I was wondering when you'd ask." Divine replied. "Well, I guess it can' hurt. I was originally a normal person like most people, before I wound up in the Super Human Research Institute, same as Allelujah. As luck would have it, we both escaped on the same ship, but then Hallelujah took over for the first time and started killing everyone onboard. I somehow managed to get a space suit on and escape the ship, but not before I got shot in the stomach, and lost consciousness from the blood loss. However, after a while I woke up to find that my wound had been treated somehow and that I was in some kind of ship. There was a person there who looked exactly like Tieria, only slightly more feminine, who introduced herself as Regene Regetta. She told me was an Innovade and promised me that everything would be alright, soon after which I passed out again. When I finally woke up again I found myself aboard the Ptolemaios II. Sumeragi explained that they'd found me drifting through space in a stasis pod, which meant I'd spent eleven years in space. She also told me that the pod had been designed to bathe me in GN Particles during hose eleven years, resulting in my becoming a Super Soldier/Innovator hybrid." Divine explained.

"That's...quite a story. So, what was it like between you and Allelujah then? I mean he, or rather his other half shot you, right?" Artemis asked. Divine chuckled slightly, his lips forming a slight smile.

"Well to be honest, I was a bit shocked at first when I saw him and Marie again. But I don't blame him one bit for what happened. For one, Hallelujah was simply trying to stay alive, which anyone can understand. Also, like it or not, we're practically brothers, so I couldn't bring myself to hate him for it." Divine replied.

"Yeah, I get what you mean. And look at it this way. If you hadn't escaped that ship, you probably wouldn't have ended up here." Artemis said.

"Hm, never thought of it that way. I guess you've got a point there. Well it's been fun, but I should probably get going. See ya later." Divine replied, before exiting the hangar, leaving Artemis and Mileina to themselves.

* * *

><p>"Miss Sumeragi! Enemy forces spotted, twelve o'clock, range 10,000!" Feldt shouted. Sumeragi nodded.<p>

"Alright, here we go! All Gundams launch immediately!" Sumeragi ordered.

"Opening hatches 1, 2 and 3! Increasing linear catapult voltage from 230 to 520. All linear catapults ready and standing by. Moving Cherudim, Seravee and Arios-Archer to catapult decks." Feldt replied. "Transferring timing controls to Gundams."

In their mobile suits, Allelujah, Marie, Lockon and Tieria put on their helmets, readying themselves for takeoff.

"Roger, I have control. Arios-Archer, Allelujah Haptism, Marie Parfacy, launching!" Allelujah shouted, as he engaged the catapult. The combined Arios-Archer shot forward, rocketing away from the Ptolemaios like a missile.

"Acknowledged. Seravee, Tieria Erde, launching!" Tieria replied, as Seravee was propelled forward as well. The heavily armoured mobile suit forming up with Arios-Archer.

"Roger that. Cherudim, Lockon Stratos, targeted and firing!" Lockon exclaimed, launching to join the other two Gundams, as Feldt prepared the catapults again.

"All catapults ready. Moving Stargazer, 00 Gundam and 0 Raiser to catapult decks. Transferring timing controls.

"Copy that, Feldt. Stargazer, Divine Divinity, I'm heading out!" Divine replied, as the Stargazer was flung from the catapult, its GN Ring igniting to catch up with the others.

"Roger. 00 Gundam, Setsuna F. Seiei, launching!" Setsuna shouted. The suit launched quickly, before Setsuna slowed down to wait for Saji to catch up with the 0 Raiser. A few moments later, the small fighter arrived and quickly proceeded to dock with the 00 Gundam, before the combined 00 Raiser accelerated to form up with the rest of the Gundams.

"Hey Setsuna, what about Louise? I mean, she's almost certainly waiting for us." Saji asked.

"Don't worry. Once we enter combat, see if you can spot her machine. Then we'll break off and capture her as best we can." Setsuna replied. Deep down he understood Saji's concern. He was desperate to be reunited with the only loved one he had left in this world.

"_I know I'd be doing the same if it were Feldt out there." _Setsuna thought. Lately he'd found himself being attracted to the pink-haired operator, but he'd avoided confronting her about it to allow both of them to focus on the missions. _"After we end this fight...then I can tell her how I feel."_

"_Sumeragi to all meisters. Our scans are showing the A-LAWS force consists of twenty one ships and one hundred or so mobile suits. Stick to the plan and watch each other's backs." _Sumeragi ordered over the comm..

"Roger that." They replied, as the A-LAWS fleet came into view. Seconds later, a large number of GN-XIIIs and Aheads charged towards the Gundams, as the fleet of Baikal-class carriers fired their main guns, the large particle beams narrowly missing the five Gundams, which immediately scattered, as the A-LAWS mobile suits began their attack.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile back aboard the Ptolemaios II, Artemis entered the ship's sub-bridge and strapped into one of the seats. He then activated the bridge's controls, the monitors displaying the battlefield before the ship and the targeting reticule for the ship's four GN Cannon Turrets.<p>

"Sumeragi, I'm ready when you are." Artemis said.

"_Alright Artemis, you're clear to commence bombardment. Concentrate on sinking those ships first, the Gundams can deal with their mobile suits." _Sumeragi replied.

"Roger that, commencing bombardment." Artemis acknowledged, as he zoomed in on the Baikal-class ships far in the distance. He adjusted his aim carefully, knowing that the slightest misalignment would have major repercussions, given the distance between him and his targets. He settled his sights over one ship's superstructure, targeting the bridge, his eyes glowing yellow. Artemis pulled the trigger, the cannons each firing a large particle beam straight towards the A-LAWS ship. All of the beams struck their target, with devastating results. The bridge was annihilated completely, as other sections of the vessel began exploding from the damage they had sustained from the blast. Without pause, Artemis turned his attention on another ship. But just before he could fire, the remaining twenty ships launched a barrage of GN Missiles towards the Ptolemaios.

"Wow, determined aren't you?" Artemis wondered, as he fired on the incoming missiles. Lasse joined in, firing the ship's fixed GN Cannons as well. With their combined firepower, the eight cannons made quick work of the missiles before they even got close.

"Lasse, thanks for the help." Artemis said.

"_No problem, now get busy." _Lasse replied.

"Roger, I'm on it." Artemis replied, as he continued to fire on the remaining A-LAWS ships ahead, knocking each one out by destroying either their bridge or engine pods.

* * *

><p>A short while later, Sumeragi's plan was well on track. After breaking through the A-LAWS thanks to the arrival of Katharon and the regular ESF forces, the group had managed to close in on the Innovators' mothership <em>Celestial Being<em>. Despite being shot down, Tieria had somehow managed to infiltrate the massive ship to locate Veda. Meanwhile the Ptolemaios had been boarded by a large number of automatons, while the Innovators' massive mobile suit force launched kamikaze attacks on the ship. However, Tieria somehow managed to take control of Seraphim and activated its Trial Field, causing the automatons and the Innovators' mobile suits to shut down immediately. Moments later though, Seraphim was destroyed by a new mobile suit that wasn't connected to Veda; in fact the suit was revealed to a Gundam-type mobile suit, with Ribbons Almark piloting it. He was quickly joined by Hiling Care and Revive Revival, as they proceeded to attack the Gundams.

"Damn it! These guys just don't quit!" Divine shouted, as he was forced to dodge another large particle beam from the Gadessa. Divine retaliated, firing a blast from the Stargazer's GN Ring, which just barely missed the Innovade. Sensing an opening, Divine charged the Gadessa, both swords drawn. Suddenly, Ribbons fired a powerful shot from the Reborns Gundam's GN Buster Rifle, destroying the GN Ring, crippling the Stargazer. The shot carried on, burning its way through the suit, just grazing the cockpit.

"You...you bastard!" Divine shouted, as the Stargazer drifted slowly, unable to manoeuvre at all.

"Miss Sumeragi! The Stargazer's GN Ring has been destroyed! The suit's out of action!" Feldt shouted.

"What about Divine?" Sumeragi asked.

"He's okay, but the rest of that large mobile suit force is back online and they're heading straight for us!" Feldt replied. Sumeragi clenched her fists in frustration. Already they'd lost two Gundams and now the enemy outnumbered them once again.

"Feldt, call back the rest of the Gundams! Have Artemis and Mileina launch immediately!" Sumeragi ordered.

"Roger that." Feldt replied.

* * *

><p>"<em>All Gundams return immediately! The Ptolemaios is under attack by the large mobile suit force again!" <em>Feldt ordered. As soon as Setsuna and the others heard her instruction, they broke off their engagement and turned back towards the ship, leaving the Innovators behind.

"Ribbons, they're retreating! Should we follow them?" Hiling asked.

"No need for that. The Gaga units should be more than enough, dear Hiling." Ribbons replied, before Revive Revival cut in.

"Ribbons, there's another mobile suit approaching us from twelve o'clock!" Revive shouted. Soon after, the Duke came into view, heading right towards them.

"Hmm, it appears this pilot is rather confident. No matter." Ribbons said, firing his rifle. However just before the beam hit, a GN Field appeared in front of the Duke, blocking the shot and leaving the Duke unscathed. Ribbons was stunned as the 0 Gundam emerged from behind the Duke and moved alongside it.

"You dare...to use MY Gundam! You shall pay for your insolence! Hiling, Revive, deal with these fools!" Ribbons shouted furiously.

"With pleasure." Revive replied, charging the Gadessa's GN Mega Launcher.

* * *

><p>At the same moment, Artemis spotted the Gadessa charging its weapon and immediately formulated a strategy.<p>

"Mileina when I say, we're going to duck underneath that weapon's beam, into its blind spot. Then we'll close in and take it out, understood?" Artemis asked.

"Roger that." Mileina replied. Just then, the Gadessa fired, sending a large particle beam towards the two suits.

"Now!" Artemis shouted. At the last second the two suits dived underneath the beam, accelerating to close the gap before the beam ceased.

"Aha ha ha ha! All too easy!" Revive laughed, certain that the Duke and 0 Gundam had been destroyed. Suddenly, as the beam ceased, the Duke appeared right in front of the Gadessa, its GN Particle Beam Sword drawn.

"What? But how...!" Revive exclaimed, before the Duke struck, its sword slicing off the Gadessa's right arm and head. Seconds later, the 0 Gundam's beam saber slashed through the chest, causing the unit to explode, taking revive with it.

"Revive! You bastard, you'll pay for that!" Hiling shouted, charging forward recklessly. Artemis and Mileina switched to their guns, firing a barrage of particle beams at the Garazzo. Hiling managed to dodge much of the incoming fire, but Artemis scored hits to both arms, knocking them out. Hiling was forced to eject as the Garazzo exploded, but the Core Fighter was destroyed by a well-aimed shot from the 0Gundam's GN Beam Rifle.

"Mileina, good shot." Artemis said.

"Thanks, but we're not finished yet." Mileina replied, as the two suits faced the Reborns Gundam. Then, Ribbons opened a link to the Duke and 0 Gundam, his face appearing on their screens.

"_Well well, I must admit that was fairly impressive, Celestial Being. However, Do you honestly believe that I will fall as easily as those two?" _Ribbons asked, his expression smug.

"Give it up, Ribbons Almark. You're outnumbered and alone. Just give up and make is easier on all of us." Artemis replied, refusing to be baited.

"_Your courage is admirable but...it will not save you. I have surpassed all Innovators, and therefore all humans as well. I will not be defeated by you or anyone else. Now then, prepare to meet your ends!" _Ribbons shouted, charging forward, as his suit's GN Fangs flew towards the Duke and 0 Gundam.

"If that's how you want to do it...Mileina, back to back! We've got to stop those fangs!" Artemis shouted.

"Got it!" Mileina replied. The two suits moved up against each other, the 0 Gundam firing its GN Beam Rifle while guarding with its shield, the Duke firing a barrage from its GN Beam Cannons and GN Vulcans. The GN Fangs darted all around the smaller fangs making slashing attack while the large ones fired large particle beams at the two suits. However, the 0 Gundam's Particle Wings proved strong enough to block the powerful beams, allowing Artemis to easily destroy the large fangs. Suddenly Ribbons attacked from above, forcing Artemis and Mileina to split up, firing at the Reborns Gundam from both sides. Ribbons abruptly changed direction, charging Mileina while firing his GN Buster Rifle.

"Nice try!" Mileina shouted, raising the 0 Gundam's shield. However, the Reborns Gundam's shots knocked tore the shield from the suit's arm, leaving it exposed. Mileina backed, firing her rifle to try and push Ribbons back.

"_Foolish girl. This is what happens when you take on someone superior to you. Farewell." _Ribbons said, preparing to end it. But before he could, Artemis attacked him from behind, aiming his sword at the Reborns Gundam's torso. Ribbons spun around quickly, meeting the Duke's sword with his beam saber. Ribbons forced the Duke back, before firing his rifle again. Artemis managed to evade most of them, but one of the beams hit the Duke's left leg, destroying the side thrusters on the leg.

"Damn it! This isn't good!" Artemis exclaimed, as he struggled to regain control. With that shot, the Duke's manoeuvrability had been seriously compromised.

"_Now you die!" _ Ribbons shouted, charging forward to deliver the final blow.

"Not so fast! I'm not done yet! Activate Quadruple Burst Mode!" Artemis shouted. All four cores activated, but then the Duke's systems abruptly shut down.

"What the...?" Artemis wondered, completely at a loss for words. Then suddenly, everything came back online, as the Duke was engulfed in a cloud of golden articles. Artemis felt his mind expanding, sensing the thoughts of Ribbons, Mileina, and everyone aboard the Ptolemaios and the Gundams. _"What...is this?"_

"What is the world is that?" Ribbons gasped.

"Artemis..." Mileina whispered.

* * *

><p>Onboard the Ptolemaios, the crew were amazed to see a golden light coming from the Duke's position, causing them to stare in astonishment.<p>

"What on earth...?" Ian wondered.

"Miss Sumeragi! Something's happening to the Duke!" Anew shouted.

"What is it?" Sumeragi demanded.

"its particle generation rate is increasing!"Anew replied.

"What's it at now?" Ian asked.

"Passing 150%...200...250...it's passed 300% and still climbing!" Anew replied.

"What? But that's impossible! It's exceeding the 00 Raiser's maximum output in Trans-Am!" Ian shouted in disbelief.

"Still rising...500...600...850...we're past 1000%!" Anew shouted.

"Unbelievable." Sumeragi gasped.

"Particle Generation rate holding steady at 2000%!" Anew exclaimed. Suddenly the crew were shocked to hear Sumeragi laughing.

"What's so funny?" Feldt asked.

"Well we may not know what's happening, but I can tell you one thing. Ribbons Almark just lost this fight." Sumeragi replied.

* * *

><p>Eventually the golden particles cleared, revealing the Duke glowing a bright golden hue, particle streaming from every thruster on its body.<p>

"I don't know what you've done, but it won't save you! Trans-Am!" Ribbons shouted, his suit glowing reddish-pink as he charged the Duke, slashing at it with his beam saber. However, as soon as the blade contacted the Duke's surface, the entire saber immediately exploded, causing Ribbons to back off.

"What...what just happened?" Ribbons demanded. Suddenly, he heard a voice in his head.

"_Sorry, but you won't win this time, Ribbons Almark." _Artemis said, his voice echoing inside Ribbon's head.

"How are you...inside my head!" Ribbons shouted. Artemis remained silent drawing his GN Particle Beam Sword.

"_Even if you defeat us, you will not succeed. Oppression leads to resentment. Resent then gives birth to revolution. You will fall." _Artemis replied, charging Ribbons head on.

"You are nothing but a mere human!" Ribbons shouted, drawing his other beam saber and lunging forward. He stabbed the Duke through the chest, but the Duke dissolved into more of the golden particles. Suddenly, the Duke appeared out of nowhere behind Ribbons, tearing off the Reborns Gundam's arms. Ribbons fell back, his suit sparking from the damage.

"How dare you!" he roared, as the Duke closed in for the kill.

"_This ends now!" _Artemis shouted, as the Duke's sword sliced through the Reborns Gundam's chest. The Duke stopped a short distance behind the Reborns Gundam, its sword held out to its side, as the suit behind exploded.

"_Finally, it's all over." _Artemis thought, as the 0 Gundam approached him.

"Artemis! Are you alright?" Mileina asked.

"Don't worry, I'm..." Artemis replied, but suddenly the Duke's GN Drive exploded, the force of the explosion slamming Artemis into the Duke's console, knocking him out cold. As the smoke cleared, Mileina could see that most of the Duke's back was destroyed, with a gaping hole where the drive should have been. The arms were badly damaged, but the legs were mostly intact, apart from the damaged thrusters on the left leg.

"_Mileina, what's the situation? We've lost readings from the Duke." _Sumeragi asked.

"The Innovators are dead, but the Duke's drive exploded just now. Artemis got knocked out, I think." Mileina replied.

"_I see. Bring the Duke back to the Ptolemaios. We've finished with the other mobile suits, so you should be okay." _Sumeragi replied.

"Roger that. I'm on my way." Mileina replied. After retrieving the 0 Gundam's shield, she grabbed hold of the Duke and headed back towards the ship, keeping a close eye on Artemis the whole time.

* * *

><p>When Artemis finally woke up, he found himself lying on one of the beds in the ship's medical bay. He slowly sat up, groaning as his muscles ached in protest to his actions. Looking around, he seemed to be alone.<p>

"Uh...what happened?" Artemis groaned, rubbing his head, his mind still foggy. Suddenly the door slid open before Mileina barrelled through it, wrapping her arms around Artemis, squeezing him in a tight hug.

"Artemis...you're okay!" Mileina cried, her tears soaking Artemis' suit. Artemis wrapped his arms around Mileina's smaller body, rubbing her back gently.

"It's alright, I'm still here." Mileina eventually stopped crying, looking back up at him. Her expression soon turned to one of confusion.

"Artemis, what's with your eyes? They're glowing yellow for some reason." Mileina asked. Artemis was about to answer her, as the rest of the crew entered the medical bay as well.

"Well, look who finally decided to wake up. Have a good sleep?" Lockon joked, Anew hanging off his arm.

"Sorry about that. What happened by the way? I don't remember." Artemis inquired.

"We were busy dealing with that large group of mobile suits when we saw this golden light coming from your position. Then the Duke's particle generation rate somehow increased to 2000%, which we have no idea why it happened. After a few minutes, Mileina told us the Duke's GN Drive had for some reason exploded." Sumeragi explained.

"Well, I think I have an idea about what happened." Ian said. "When we were installing the GN Drive on the Duke, we must've forgotten that the Power Cores in its chest were still full of GN Tau particles. When Artemis activated the Duke's Burst Mode, the GN Tau and GN particles probably reacted with each other, causing these golden GN particles to be produced, which I'm calling GN Knight Particles. That was probably what caused the particle generation to increase by so much."

"And because the drive couldn't handle the stress, it exploded, right?" Artemis guessed. Ian nodded, confirming everyone's suspicions.

"But, I don't understand why Artemis' eyes are still glowing. Sure Setsuna's do the same thing, but his eyes only glow occasionally." Feldt asked.

"**I have a theory on that." **Tieria said, causing everyone but Setsuna to jump in astonishment.

"T-Tieria?" they gasped.

"Right, I forgot to tell everyone. Tieria's consciousness has been merged with Veda. In essence, they're one and the same now." Setsuna explained.

"Thank you for clearing that up, Setsuna. Tieria, what's this theory of yours?" Sumeragi asked.

"**From what I was able to gather by analysing Artemis' condition, it seems that those GN Knight particles caused his body to very rapidly evolve beyond an Innovator and into something even more advanced." **Tieria explained.

"Great, how many times does my body have to change?" Artemis sighed, his shoulders slumping in defeat.

"Oh Artemis, you'll always be my knight." Mileina replied, nuzzling under his chin.

"Hey, that's not a bad idea. Why don't we call him a Knight from now on, seeing as he is the first one?" Lockon suggested. The others nodded in agreement, while Artemis blushed at the extra affection Mileina was displaying.

* * *

><p><strong>This concludes the Season 2 arc. Next will be a few filler chapters, exploring some of the relationships , including ArtemisMileina, Sumeragi/Divine, and a third relationship that I'm keeping a secret (if you can guess what relationship I mean, you'll get a mention in the next chapter!), then I'll be into the movie A Wakening of the Trailblazer, which should take one or two chapters. Be warned, I will be on holiday until the 10****th**** of January, so I might be unable to update for a while, but check anyway in case I'm able to update after all. In the mean time, read and review! Anzac-A1 out!**


	8. Chapter 6: Intimate Relations

**Hey guys, sorry for the ait! I ended up getting home earlier than expected (n the 7****th**** as opposed to the 11****th****) so here's the next instalment of Mobile Suit Gundam 00: Resistance. Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Chapter 6: Intimate Relations.<p>

Three months had passed since the events of _Celestial Being_, where the Gundam Meisters had triumphed over the Innovators, recapturing the quantum processing computer known as Veda, and simultaneously exposing the atrocities committed by the A-LAWS to the world, but at the cost of Tieria Erde's life. Since then however, things had changed greatly, and for the better. The Earth Sphere Federation had disbanded the A-LAWS and elected a new government soon after. They had also dedicated resources towards aiding the rebuild of Azadistan and many other nations that had suffered from the brutality of the A-LAWS. The Federation had also announced a reduction in military strength, in an effort to ensure a longer lasting peace.

During this entire time, the Ptolemaios II had returned to Celestial Being's secondary asteroid base as Lagrange 3 had been destroyed months earlier. Sumeragi had decided that it would be better for the group to 'disappear' for the time being and simply observe the world with the help of Veda/Tieria and only act if any new conflicts broke out. However because all of the Gundams, namely the Stargazer, Duke and 0 Gundam had sustained extensive damage, they would be kept busy for the foreseeable future. Also, each of the Gundams including the Duke were slated to be rebuilt and upgraded, the same way that Virtue and Kyrios had been rebuilt as Seravee and Arios. Since Ian and Linda were both busy with the replacement for the 00 Gundam, Sumeragi had decided that they would make use of the Twin Drive mobile suit and rebuild it as the replacement for the Duke. After testing the GN Drives they already possessed, the crew found that the 0 Gundam's original GN Drive and the prototype drive that it currently used worked so well together that the 0 Raiser was no longer necessary for Trans-Am to be used safely. As a result, the 0 Gundam would use Exia's solar reactor, while the Ptolemaios II would be powered by its GN Drive again. However, giving the 00 Gundam a complete overhaul along with Arios, Cherudim and the 0 Gundam would require a lot of hard work, even with Lagrange 3's large number of personnel. As a result, Artemis spent a lot of his time working on his mobile suit or sleeping, which didn't go over too well with Mileina. After a few days, the young meister had become tired of Artemis not spending enough time with her and decided to resort to drastic measures. She waited for the rest of the base to go to sleep, and then quietly snuck into Artemis' room. After locking the door, Mileina removed her uniform leaving her wearing nothing other than a simple white bra and panties, before sliding under the covers. She giggled to herself as Artemis unconsciously wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against him tightly. Mileina rested her head on his chest, as she slowly drifted off, warm in her boyfriend's loving embrace.

* * *

><p>The next day, Artemis was woken by the feeling of a warm feeling against his chest. Opening his glowing yellow eyes slowly, he was startled to find Mileina lying against him, her head resting on her chest, a smile adorning her face. Artemis blushed profusely when he realised that Mileina was wearing nothing but her underwear, causing him to let out a startled yelp. The noise jolted Mileina out of her pleasant dream, her eyes opening tiredly. As soon as she saw Artemis looking down at her, Mileina smiled seductively, before pulling Artemis down into a mind-numbing kiss. Artemis was at first surprised by her forwardness, before he began kissing back, his lips harmonising with Mileina's, as both of them felt their inhibitions melt away before the heat of their passion for each other. Mileina moaned as Artemis' tongue ran across her bottom lip, bidding her to let Artemis in further. She quickly obliged, craving Artemis' taste like nothing else in the world. They continued to kiss, feeling each other's passion and desire as their tongues writhed against one another desperately. The need for air eventually forced them to separate, Mileina lying her head on Artemis' shoulder, as they both struggled to regain their lost breath.<p>

"What...brought that on?" Artemis gasped, still slightly taken aback by Mileina's aggressiveness. Mileina giggled, sending soothing vibrations through Artemis' shoulder.

"Because, you've been doing nothing but work on the Duke ever since we got here. I decided you needed to take a day off to relax, even if I had to force you. So enjoy it while you can." Mileina replied, snuggling up closer. Artemis sighed tiredly, enjoying the sensation of Mileina's bare skin pressing against him.

* * *

><p>At the same time a few rooms away, Sumeragi woke up as well. The forecaster let out a big yawn, stretching her arms in the process. Beside her Divine groaned tiredly, woken by his bed mate's yawning. He slowly sat up, rubbing his head through his crimson locks. His eyes fell on Sumeragi's naked form, his face flushing as he remembered the night before. After he had entered the room, Sumeragi had pushed him against the door, kissing him furiously. After releasing him, she strode over to the bed, disrobing as she went. Divine watched with astonishment as Sumeragi laid herself on the bed, grinning seductively as she felt Divine's eyes wander over her naked body. Not needing any more hints, the meister quickly pulled off his uniform as well, before joining his lover on the bed. The kissing quickly turned to foreplay, the room soon filling with Sumeragi and Divine's moaning. Without waiting for permission, Divine swiftly entered her, causing Sumeragi to scream in a mixture of pleasure and pain. As Divine continued to thrust into her, Sumeragi's screams turned into ones of pleasure alone, as she began to move her hips in time with Divine's thrusts, bringing their pleasure to a peak. The last thing Divine remembered was cumming inside Sumeragi as she came as well, before they both fell back on the bed, panting heavily, their bodies glistening with sweat. Shortly afterwards, the two fell asleep, snug in each other's arms. The red-haired meister was jolted from his thoughts as Sumeragi pulled him back down onto the bed abruptly, pressing her body against his.<p>

"I see you're finally awake." she purred seductively. Divine struggled to form a coherent reply, his thoughts distracted by the sensation of Sumeragi's large breasts pressing into his chest.

"I can't help it if you tire me out, not that I'm complaining or anything." Divine replied, bending his head down to kiss Sumeragi on her neck. His partner moaned, tangling her hands in Divine's hair as he sucked on her neck, making sure to leave a nice hickey.

"Be careful...or you might get me pregnant one of these days." Sumeragi gasped, as Divine came back up for air.

"Would that really be so bad?" he asked playfully. Sumeragi giggled, as Divine's hands gently massaged her back.

"Not really, but I don't think a drunk tactical forecaster would be a very good parent." she replied, lowering her head as a hint of sadness entered her voice. Divine gently lifted her chin, bringing her gaze back to his. Then he gently kissed Sumeragi on the lips, nothing like their desperate kisses the night before. Sumeragi felt herself melt into Divine's embrace, both of them conveying their deepest emotions through the kiss. As they separated, Divine caught her eyes again.

"Sumeragi, we don't have to do this right away. Besides, I know you'll make a great mother." he told her, his voice sincere. Sumeragi felt her heart ache, as tears welled up in her eyes. Then, with head against Divine's shoulder and with tears streaming down her face, Sumeragi cried her heart out. Divine said nothing, he just held her close to him, rocking her gently as she continued to cry. Eventually Sumeragi stopped crying, as she felt her sadness melt away in Divine's tender and loving embrace.

"There, there. You okay now?" Divine asked.

"Yeah, I guess I really needed to get a lot off my chest." Sumeragi admitted.

"It's okay." he replied.

"It's just...after my first lover was killed, I pretty much gave up on love for good. So I tried to replace it with drinking, but that just made the pain worse. But then, when I met you Divine, I found someone who helped me remember what it's like to care about another person this much. Thanks for helping me." Sumeragi admitted, pulling Divine closer.

"Don't worry, there's no way I'm going to leave you, ever." Divine replied.

* * *

><p>A few hours later, the two lovers finally forced themselves to get out of bed and get dressed. Leaving their room, Divine and Sumeragi headed towards the base's rec room, hoping to catch the rest of the crew. Since Linda had left for Jupiter to try and create two new GN Drives for the replacement for the 00 Gundam, the repairs and modifications for the remaining Gundams would take some time, despite the extra manpower provided by the base' personnel. As they entered the rec room, Divine and Sumeragi could tell something was off. Lasse currently had control of the remote and was watching what appeared to be a documentary based on the past activities of the Gundams, with Lockon and Anew half-watching, half-cuddling at the opposite end of the sofa. Surprisingly, the otherwise serious Setsuna was chatting animatedly with Feldt at the table, while Allelujah and Marie were gazing out the window, with Marie resting her head on Allelujah's shoulder. But for some reason the youngest couple, Artemis and Mileina, were nowhere to be found.<p>

"Hey guys, where're Artemis and Mileina?" Divine asked. Upon hearing his voice, Lasse paused his program and looked back over his shoulder at the two new arrivals.

"Hey Divine. Sorry, but I haven't seen 'em. I'm surprised, they're usually the first ones here." he told them, before turning back to the TV. As the program resumed playing, Divine and Sumeragi made their way over to the table. As they sat down, Setsuna and Feldt both looked up from their conversation.

"Oh Miss Sumeragi, good morning." Feldt said cheerfully, while Setsuna merely smiled.

"Morning to you, too." Sumeragi replied. "You two haven't seen Artemis or Mileina by any chance have you?" Feldt shook her head.

"Sorry, but no. I went to check on Mileina when I woke up, but she wasn't in her room when I got there." she explained.

"Well I did look for Artemis, but he wasn't working on his mobile suit, and when I went to his room the door was locked." Setsuna replied.

"That's odd." Divine remarked, causing Sumeragi to look at him in confusion.

"What is?" she asked.

"That Artemis isn't working on building his new suit already. I mean, he's even more obsessed with it than Setsuna was with the 00 Raiser." he replied.

"I was not obsessed with it." Setsuna replied flatly, causing Feldt to giggle.

"You so were." she replied, still giggling.

"Was not." Setsuna retorted.

"Were too." Feldt replied, grinning mischievously.

"Was not."

"Were too."

"Was not." Setsuna replied. By this point Divine had closed his eyes and was muttering to himself, his hands clasped over his ears to drown out Setsuna and Feldt's childish argument.

"Bear with it, just bear with it until the ignorant fool has been taught the Tao." he repeated, in an attempt to stop the argument from driving him up the wall. Eventually Setsuna and Feldt stopped arguing, after Feldt tricked Setsuna into admitting his obsession, not that it was any great surprise to anyone.

"But, why would his room be locked? It's not like anyone's going to steal anything." Sumeragi wondered.

"Well he obviously wants to keep us out for some reason, but your guess is as good as mine." Setsuna replied.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile back in Artemis' room, things were quickly heating up. At some point during a lengthy kiss, Artemis' hand had worked its way down to and inside Mileina's panties, which were soaked as a result of her increasing arousal, where Artemis, his mind focused on the kiss, absent-mindedly started stroking Mileina's soaking wet pussy. Mileina yelped as a jolt of pleasure shot through her body, causing her to break off the kiss and clutch at Artemis' shoulders, panting from the sudden sensation. Artemis grinned knowingly, as he continued stroking his girlfriend's pussy, occasionally rubbing her clit with his thumb as well.<p>

"A-Artemis...feels good...don't stop!" Mileina gasped, panting from the rush of pleasure coming from her nether regions. No one had ever touched her there before, save for herself, so this feeling of someone else touching her like this was a totally new experience, far better than touching herself. Artemis continued his actions, as Mileina's panting steadily grew faster and louder.

"Artemis...I'm gonna...!" Mileina exclaimed, as she felt her climax approaching. Hearing her words, Artemis stroked her faster, bringing Mileina to an even greater level of pleasure.

"ARTEMIS, I'M CUMMING!" Mileina screamed as she climaxed, her juices covering Artemis' hand. Artemis slowly withdrew his hand as Mileina clung to him desperately trying to regain her breath. Artemis grinned as a devious plot formed in his mind. He brought his hand, which was now covered in Mileina's juices, just in front of Mileina's face, as if daring her to taste herself. Mileina stared at his hand, her eyes fixed on the juices that covered it. Before Mileina realised what she was doing, she was already licking Artemis' hand, even going so far as to suck on his fingers in an effort to clean up all of the remnants of her orgasm, moaning as she did so. Eventually Artemis pulled his hand away, arousing an unsatisfied moan from Mileina.

"I never would've pegged you as such a naughty girl, Mileina." Artemis said, his eyes glowing brighter than usual.

"Oh, I can be naughty when I want to. Now it's my turn to make you feel good." Mileina purred seductively, pushing Artemis onto his back, before pulling his underwear off, exposing his erection. Mileina crawled down until her face was level with Artemis' manhood and wrapped her hand around it, moaning at its silk-like feel. She began slowly moving her hand up and down, enjoying Artemis' pleasured gasps as she did so.

"Oh god...Mileina!' Artemis gasped, as she suddenly took him inside her mouth, swirling her tongue around the tip. Mileina began bobbing her head up and down, dragging her tongue along Artemis' dick ever time she came back up, adding to her lover's pleasure. Artemis groaned loudly as he felt his climax approaching. Sensing his climax, Mileina started sucking faster, taking more of Artemis' length into her mouth each time. Suddenly Artemis held her head down with both hands, as he came inside her mouth. Mileina moaned as she felt Artemis' hot cum flow into her mouth and down her throat. She tried to swallow all of it, but some leaked out of her mouth, running down her chin. Artemis released Mileina's head, panting from his climax as Mileina came back up. Knowing her love was still watching, Mileina wiped the cum off her chin, proceeding to slowly suck the cum off her finger, moaning seductively as she did so.

"Oh Artemis, you taste sooooo good!" Mileina purred, as she ran her hand across his chest, practically drooling at the feel of his skin against her hand. Artemis responded in kind, taking her breasts in his hands, revelling in their soft feel.

"Well I'm glad you approve, Mileina." Artemis replied, his lips brushing gently against hers.

"Artemis, please...I need you in me...!" Mileina gasped desperately, as Artemis continued massaging her breasts.

"Mileina, I can't." Artemis protested.

"So...you don't want me?" Mileina asked, her eyes brimming with tears.

"Mileina, I want you more than anything else in the world. But you're still too young. Just wait a little bit longer for me, okay?" Artemis asked, gently kissing her again. Mileina kissed back, as they wrapped their arms around each other, losing themselves in the kiss. Eventually they broke apart, Mileina's head resting on Artemis' chest.

"Okay, I'll wait." Mileina replied, wiping her eyes. The two teens lay back down in the bed, still in each other's arms as they drifted off to sleep again.

* * *

><p><strong>So...any thoughts on Artemis and Mileina's first intimate encounter? Just to let you know, there will be a lemon scene for these two during the movie arc, so stay tuned!<strong>


	9. Mobile Suit Specifications 3, 4 & 5

**Here's a technical description of Artemis, Mileina and Divine's new mobile suits.**

* * *

><p>Mobile Suit Specifications: GN-0000N Noble.<p>

Unit Type: Long Range/Close Combat Mobile Suit.

Profile

Model Number: GN-0000N.

Namesake: Nobility.

Developed from: GN-0000 00 Gundam + NZRC-001 Duke.

Developed into: N/A.

First Seen: 2314 A.D.

Manufacturer: Celestial Being.

Operator: Celestial Being.

Known Pilots: Artemis Knight.

General Characteristics

Head Height: 18.9 metres.

Max Weight: 75.1 tons.

Power-plant: GN Drive x 2.

Accommodation: Pilot only, cockpit in chest.

Armour: E-Carbon, GN Composite Armour.

Movement

Propulsion: GN Vernier (wing binders).

Armaments

GN Long Rifle II x 1.

GN Launcher II x 2 (mounted on top of each wing binder)-GN Mega Launcher II-GN High Mega Launcher II.

GN Sword II x 2 (stored on thighs).

Special Equipments and Features

Trans-Am.

Twin Drive.

Knight System.

GN Field (projected from wing binders).

Optional Equipment

None.

GN Long Rifle II

Developed as a result of the decision to give the Noble a long range sniping capability much like Dynames/Cherudim, the GN Long Rifle II is based on the GN Long Rifle intended for GN-001REIII Gundam Exia Repair III. The weapon is a third longer than Cherudim's GN Sniper Gun II and possesses a maximum range even greater than the Gadessa's GN Mega Launcher and folds in half for storage, unfolding after the Noble is launched. Normally, the rifle has the same power as Seravee's GN Cannons, but in Trans-Am it rivals the power of the GN Bazooka, thanks to the Noble's Twin Drive. When the Knight System is activated however, the rifle is as powerful as Virtue's GN Bazooka in Burst Mode with Trans-Am, but the output generates so much heat that the weapon will overload after a few seconds of firing.

GN Launcher II

Developed from data gathered on GNW-001 Gundam Throne Eins, the GN Launcher II is an updated version of the original GN Launcher. As the Noble is powered by two original GN Drives linked with a Twin Drive system, it is able to utilize the GN Launcher II's normal and Mega Launcher modes without any help. To use the GN High Mega Launcher II however, the Noble has to activate Trans-Am first. In terms of power, in normal mode, the launchers are similar in power to Seravee's GN Bazooka IIs. In Mega Launcher mode, they are as powerful as Virtue's GN Bazooka, but with the benefit of a shorter recharge time. However, in High Mega Launcher mode, they are as powerful as Virtue's GN Bazooka in Burst Mode. If the Knight System is activated, the GN High Mega Launcher II is capable of firepower rivalling that of the destroyed satellite weapon _Memento Mori_. However, this causes the weapons to overload and destroythemselves after a few seconds, as a result of the enourmous heat generated.

Knight System

The Knight System serves much the same purpose as the Raiser System in the original 00 Raiser. However, as the Noble's GN Drives can execute Trans-Am without a support system, the Knight System has another purpose. When activated, it allows the Noble's particle generation rate to reach around 1100-1500%, close to what was achieved by the Duke when its GN particles and GN Tau particles mixed. In addition, the system also allows the operation of the Noble by quantum brainwaves alone when activated. Artemis is currently the only individual capable of using this system function, given his A-Level quantum brainwaves, the result of his close exposure to GN Knight particles.

* * *

><p>Mobile Suit Specifications: GN-000V Vasi.<p>

Unit Type: Long Range/Close Combat Mobile Suit.

Profile

Model Number: GN-000V.

Namesake: Vashti.

Developed from: GN-000 0 Gundam + GN-001REIII Gundam Exia Repair III.

Developed into: N/A.

First seen: 2314 A.D.

Manufacturer: Celestial Being.

Operator: Celestial Being.

Known Pilots: Mileina Vashti.

General Characteristics

Head Height: 18.4 metres.

Max Weight: 58.0 tons.

Power-plant: GN Drive.

Accommodation: Pilot only, cockpit in chest.

Armour: E-Carbon, GN Composite Armour.

Movement

Propulsion: GN Vernier (cone) + GN Thrusters (rear shoulder armour, rear torso and calves).

Armaments

GN Long Rifle II.

GN Beam Saber x 2 (stored on hips).

GN Vulcans (wrist mounted).

GN Shield.

GN Rifle Bits x 4 (two mounted on each shoulder).

Special Equipments and Features

Trans-Am.

GN Drive Burst Mode.

0 System.

Optional Equipment

GN Sword Kai.

0 System

The feature that sets the Vasi apart from the other Gundams is the 0 System (pronounced _Oh System_). The system allows the Vasi's four GN Rifle Bits to be operated remotely using quantum brainwaves, eliminating the need for a Haro unit to control the bits. The system was created after Ian and Linda Vashti found that their daughter Mileina was now an Innovator. Most likely the change was caused by her close proximity to the Duke when it was producing GN Knight particles. The system also helps to stabilise the Vasi's GN Drive (originally Exia's), enabling the extended and repeated use of its Burst Mode. During Trans-Am, the 0 System along with Burst Mode, increases the Vasi's particle generation rate to reach levels of approximately 150-200%, but only whilst Trans-Am in active. When Trans-Am is not in use, Burst Mode raises the generation of particles to around 120%, as well as dramatically boosting straight-line speed and acceleration.

* * *

><p>Mobile Suit Specifications: GN-012 Celestia.<p>

Unit Type: Long Range/Close Combat Mobile Suit.

Profile

Model Number: GN-012.

Namesake: Celestial.

Developed from: GN-006 Stargazer.

Developed into: N/A.

First Seen: 2314 A.D.

Manufacturer: Celestial Being.

Operator: Celestial Being.

Known Pilots: Divine Divinity.

General Characteristics

Head Height: 18.4 metres.

Max Weight: 65.0 tons.

Power-plant: GN Drive.

Accommodation: Pilot only, cockpit in chest.

Armour: E-Carbon, GN Composite Armour.

Movement

Propulsion: GN Vernier (GN Ring).

Armaments

GN Long Rifle II x 1.

GN Ring x 1.

GN Sword II x 2 (stored on thighs).

GN "Fuxi" Rifle Bits x 8 (four on each shoulder).

Special Equipments and Features

Trans-Am.

Zhen-Xuan-Shen.

GN Field (projected from GN Ring & GN "Fuxi" Rifle Bits).

Optional Equipment

None.

GN "Fuxi" Rifle Bits

Based on the GN Rifle Bits used by the Vasi, the "Fuxi" Rifle Bits are different in that they are essentially smaller, mobile versions of the GN Ring. They operate in the same way as the GN Ring, except for the fact that their beams are less powerful. When Dive wants to use the Eight Trigrams Cannon, all eight bits form a tight circle, while the GN Ring detatches from the Celestia, positioning itself in front of the ring of rifle bits. The bits then all fire there most powerful beams, which are merged and amplified by the GN Filed within the GN Ring, resulting in a blast that rivals the Noble's GN High Mega Launcher.

**Hope you like the new Gundams! Also, I've set up a poll on my profile regarding a (shocking/sad) event that I'm considering for later in the story, please vote and let me know what you think! Anzac-A1 out!**


	10. Chapter 7: First Encounter

**Sorry for the long wait guys, I've been working on two new fanfics, Naruto: Spirit Of Iron (2 chapters uploaded so far) and Black-Five seven (1****st**** chapter in progress), so I've been unable to work on this story as much as I would've liked.**

* * *

><p>Chapter 7: First Encounter.<p>

Two years later, the Ptolemaios II Kai was making its way through the small asteroid field that concealed Celestial Being's base from anyone seeking to attack the private armed organisation. On board the ship, the crew went to their stations, as the ship reached the asteroid field's outer edge, before activating its optical camouflage, allowing the large ship to simply disappear from view. Surprisingly however, the ship's hangars were empty apart from Hangar 3, located along the ship's centreline just behind the bridge. Inside the hangar stood the suit Artemis had been slaving over for the past two years; GN-000N, aka Noble Gundam. After a lot of tiring and time-consuming work, the new suit, the successor to Artemis' old mobile suit NZRC-001 Duke, was finally ready to be field tested. For this purpose, Sumeragi had decided to head back towards the Earth, to test the Noble's mobility by having Artemis fly the suit along the length of the orbital ring. Not only would this give a good indication of the Noble's speed and manoeuvrability, but the ring would also hide the suit from view, hopefully ensuring that Artemis wouldn't run into any trouble. At first glance, the Noble looked very much like the 00 Gundam, apart from the GN Launchers mounted on top of the wing binders. The main visual differences were its new grey/white colour scheme, and the fact that the head was now a slightly redesigned version of the Duke's head. As the ship headed to Earth, Sumeragi left Lasse at the helm, while she gathered the rest of the crew in the briefing room to outline the test flight.

"So how are we doing this?" Setsuna asked, voicing the question that was clearly on everyone's mind.

"Well I'm glad someone decided to ask about that." Sumeragi replied. "Once the ship gets close enough to the orbital ring, Artemis will launch in the Noble and immediately get as close to the ring as possible. Then we'll see how fast the suit can go by having Artemis do a full circuit of the ring as fast as he can. After that, we'll then have him do a circuit away from the ring, which we'll display on the Noble's monitors. We've designed the course to test how well the Noble is able to change direction, especially at high speed."

"What should I do if I'm spotted?" Artemis asked.

"In the unlikely event that the Federation spots you, get out of the area as quickly as possible. If they launch any mobile suits, just try to outrun them. Under no circumstances are you to fire on them, unless you're forced to." Sumeragi replied.

"Understood." Artemis replied, nodding his head.

"All right then. If we're all clear, let's get back to work." Sumeragi announced. The others agreed, and then dispersed to resume their jobs.

* * *

><p>"Deck Three, hatch is fully open. Moving GN-0000N Noble to catapult deck." Mileina announced. Inside the Noble's cockpit, Artemis put on his helmet, as the suit descended onto the catapult. As the Noble arrived in the catapult, Ian came up on the monitor.<p>

"_Okay Artemis, we've equipped the Noble with all of its weapons for this test. We want to see how the suit performs with its full combat weight. "_ Ian explained.

"Roger that." Artemis replied.

"_Good. But remember, we haven't finished working on the suit's Trans-Am or the Knight System yet, so don't activate 'em for this run. We'll do that later on." _Ian told him.

"Got it, thanks." Artemis replied, as the Noble tilted forward into launch position.

"_Increasing linear catapult voltage from 230 to 520, Noble stabilised with linear field. Transferring timing control of linear catapult to Noble."_ Mileina said. Artemis prepared himself, gripping the controls.

"Roger, I have control. Noble Gundam, Artemis Knight, launching!" Artemis announced, engaging the catapult. The Noble's wing binders slammed into their rearwards-facing position, sending all of their thrust backwards. The suit rocketed forward, shooting out of the catapult, as the rest of its thrusters engaged. Automatically the Noble's GN Long Rifle II unfolded, as Artemis steered the suit towards the orbital ring. In no time at all, the Noble was positioned next to the orbital ring, ready for the first phase of the test flight.

"This is Artemis, I'm in position. Ready to begin test flight." Artemis announced.

"_Roger that, Artemis. You may proceed with high speed circuit in 3...2...1...NOW!"_ Sumeragi shouted. Artemis slammed the controls forward, unleashing the full thrust of the Noble's twin GN Drives. The suit shot forward, rapidly picking up speed. Artemis grunted as he felt himself being pressed into his seat, as the orbital ring became just a blur on the Noble's left-hand side, even to Artemis' enhanced eyes. Back aboard the Ptolemaios, the crew was stunned by the rate at which the Noble disappeared from view as it sped away, the orbital ring concealing its position.

"Amazing." Setsuna gasped.

"Yeah." Feldt replied.

"Well, it looks like adding those extra thrusters really made a difference. Anew, what's the speed like so far?" Ian asked.

"One moment." Anew replied, as she checked her monitor. "The Noble's current speed is 27,000 mph and it's still accelerating."

"It's still getting faster? How's that even possible?" Allelujah asked.

"It's possible because the Noble doesn't have to carry the 0 Raiser in addition to its own mass. Because of this, the thrust from the GN Drives and the other thrusters has a much greater effect. Who knows how fast it'll be." Ian replied. Anew and Feldt continued monitoring the Noble's progress, as the suit disappeared behind the earth. However, to the astonishment of everyone present, Artemis reappeared less than half an hour later. By the time the Noble passed its start point, just twenty five minutes had elapsed.

"Feldt, what did we get?" Ian asked.

"One second. It looks like the Noble's maximum speed is...61,200 mph!" Feldt exclaimed. Everyone else gasped in astonishment, amazed by the Noble's enormous speed.

"That's eighty times the speed of sound! Incredible!" Ian gasped. "All right Artemis, that's it for the high speed run. Let's move on to..." He was cut off as Mileina spoke up.

"Miss Sumeragi, the long range sensors just picked up a large object. Based on its course, it looks like it will soon enter the Earth Sphere." Mileina reported.

"Can you get a visual on it?" Sumeragi asked.

"Sorry, it's too far away for that. But based on its size, it won't be good if it hits anywhere on land." Mileina replied.

"That's not good." Lockon said.

"What about the Federation? Are they aware of this?" Sumeragi asked.

"**Yes, they are." **Veda/Tieria replied, his face appearing on the monitor.

"Tieria?" Feldt asked.

"**Yes, I apologise for not contacting you sooner, but you were out of range. To answer your question, the Federation has already deployed a small task force to deal with the object, which they've determined is the wreckage of the research ship **_**Europa**_**, a ship that left for Jupiter 130 years ago. According to Veda's information, the ship may have been linked to the development of GN Drives, but I'm not 100% certain. In any case, I doubt the Federation weapons will be enough. I've analysed the ship and there seems to be something strange about its composition. I'm not sure what it is, but the Federation's weapons won't be powerful enough to destroy it." **Veda/Tieria explained.

"Hm, I see. Ian, how are the Noble's weapons?" Sumeragi asked, turning to face the engineer.

"The Noble's weapon systems and the weapons themselves are all finished and ready to go." Ian replied.

"That settles it, then. Artemis, come in." Sumeragi said.

"_This is Artemis, what's the problem?" _Artemis replied.

"Artemis, we've detected an old research ship called _Europa _that's on a collision course with Earth. We need you to intercept it and destroy it. This just became a weapons test." Sumeragi told him

"_Roger that. I'm on my way there now. Artemis out." _Artemis replied. He pulled away from the orbital ring, now flying in the direction of the moon, heading for the _Europa_'s position.

* * *

><p>A few minutes later, the Federation was already busy engaging the <em>Europa<em>. Despite three ships firing three waves of particle missiles, the ship's course hadn't changed and it would still hit the earth. A group of GN-XIV mobile suits led by Andrei Smirnov were chasing after it, but their attacks were doing little damage if any.

"The ship is too big!" cried one of the pilots, as they continued firing at the enormous vessel.

"Don't give up!" Andrei replied, firing as well. However, the suits were struggling to keep with the old ship, which despite having no thrust from its engines was still travelling at breakneck speed.

"Damn it. We're using most of our particles for thrust, we don't have enough..." Andrei muttered, before one of the other pilots interrupted.

"Sir, behind us!" the pilot shouted. Andrei turned to look behind them, but was shocked to see the distinctive green glow of GN particles.

"It's a Gundam!" Andrei shouted, as the Noble formed up with the Federation mobile suits. Artemis then opened a sound only link with Andrei's machine.

"_Attention Federation mobile suits, this is Celestial Being. I'm here to help you stop the Europa from entering the Earth Sphere. Just stand back and let me handle it." _Artemis said. Andrei clenched his hands in frustration, but realised the Gundam pilot was right. They needed help, otherwise a lot of people could die. Andrei and his comrades backed off, allowing the Noble to target the _Europa_.

"Noble Gundam, ready GN Mega Launchers, target is the _Europa_. Charging compressed GN particles." Artemis said, as the launchers' extended barrels folded out into position. Suddenly, Artemis felt a sharp pain in his head, as he heard what sounded like a cry of some sort.

"_What...what was that?" _he wondered. Artemis shook it off, concentrating on the task at hand. Moments later, the suit finished charging.

"Noble Gundam, GN Mega Launchers, firing!" As he pulled the trigger, two massive particle beams erupted from the GN Mega Launchers. The beams tore into the _Europa_, which exploded as the beams blasted through the ship. Artemis then aimed the Noble's GN Long Rifle II, targeting the few remaining pieces that posed a threat. A few powerful blasts meant that the remaining fragments should burn up in the atmosphere. Meanwhile, Andrei and the other pilots looked on, blown away by the Noble's display of power.

"_Unbelievable. That Gundam is something else." _He thought, as the Noble flew away, disappearing into the distance before they could even think of chasing it.

At the same time aboard the Ptolemaios, the crew were amazed at the Noble's performance.

"So much firepower..." Allelujah gasped.

"Hah! You ain't seen nothin' yet! Just wait until we finish the Trans-Am and Knight System, then you'll see what the Noble can really do." Ian laughed, clearly happy with his latest creation. As Artemis returned, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss.

"_Something's just not right about this. That ship should've easily been destroyed by the Federation's missile attacks, and even the Noble's firepower couldn't fully destroy it. Why is that?" _he wondered, as he began his docking procedures. Once the Noble was stowed away, the ship headed back to base, while Ian, Feldt and Anew poured over the data collected from the Noble's testing.

* * *

><p>That night, Artemis found that no matter what he tried, he just couldn't get to sleep. He was still troubled by the feeling he had about the <em>Europa<em>'s wreckage, and why it proved so difficult to destroy. Artemis sighed in frustration, causing Mileina to wake up beside him. Mileina rubbed her eyes tiredly, groaning at being woken up so late.

"Mmm...Artemis? What's wrong?" she asked, yawning as she draped an arm over his chest.

"Sorry Mileina. I just can't sleep for some reason." Artemis replied.

"Wanna talk about it?" Mileina asked.

"I just can't shake the feeling that something was up with that ship. I mean, no ship should be able to take that much firepower and still have some parts left, especially not a ship from over a century ago." Artemis explained. Mileina huffed in frustration, before planting a kiss on Artemis' cheek, causing him to glance over at her.

"C'mon, worry about that stuff later. If it turns out that something was wrong, we can deal with it when it happens. Now shut up and sleep already, I'm tired." Mileina whined. Artemis chuckled, wrapping his arms around Mileina's slim waist. In no time at all both of them were fast asleep, unaware of what lay ahead.

* * *

><p>A few days later, the crew were surprised when VedaTieria contacted them yet again. This time however, the news wasn't good. Apparently, the fragments of the Europa that should've burned up in atmosphere had somehow survived and crashed down in various locations across Europe and Central Asia. However, when the Federation retrieval team arrived at the crash sites, the total number of fragments they managed to collect amounted to just 20% of what fell to earth. Soon afterwards, reports came in of strange accidents near where the missing fragments had landed. After further investigation, the Federation discovered that the fragments were actually composed of some kind of living metallic substance. The scientists had named these things ELSs, or Extraterrestrial Living-metal Shape-shifters. Based on their movements, the ELSs appeared to be targeting those individuals with the potential to become Innovators. As a result, the Federation government had decided to evacuate all such persons to Quantum Brainwave Isolation facilities, to prevent any further incidents.

"I see. Tieria, please keep us updated on any more developments." Sumeragi asked.

"**Of course. I'll keep you posted. Goodbye for now." **Veda/Tieria replied, closing the link.

"Well this is certainly interesting, humanity's first contact with an alien entity. But what do you think the ELSs want?" Allelujah asked.

"Right now, your guess is as good as mine, Allelujah." Sumeragi replied. "For now, let's just worry about what we have to do here. I just received word that the CB Lab Transport we sent to Jupiter has just returned."

"Yay, Mom's back!" Mileina squealed, before she burst out of the room dragging Artemis with her, leaving the others behind.

"It's been two years, and yet she hasn't changed one bit." Lockon remarked, causing the others, even Setsuna, to burst out laughing. Once the laughing had abated, they followed Mileina Artemis to the docking bay, where they all welcomed Linda back from her long trip. After bringing her up to speed with the recent events, the crew helped Linda unload the fruits of the voyage; two brand new GN Drives and the Gundam they would eventually power, GNT-0000 00 Quanta. Soon afterwards, Tieria contacted the ship again, saying that the situation had just gotten even worse. The Federation had discovered an enormous mass emerging from Jupiter's Great Red Spot, it's size and mass equal to that of the moon. The mass turned out to be an enormous ELS, with hundreds upon hundreds of ELSs forming a ring around it. On top of this, the ELSs were headed towards Earth, already having passed beyond Jupiter's ring. Tieria had calculated that the ELSs would reach the Earth Sphere in just over three months, after which there was little chance of survival.

"How has the Federation responded so far?" Lockon asked.

"**The Federation government has already begun moving all citizens into underground shelters to hopefully protect them in the event that the ELSs make it to the Earth. However, the shelters aren't large enough to hold everyone on earth, even with the various nations using their governmental buildings to house their citizens. At the same time, every military force on earth that has access to either mobile suits which can operate in space or spaceships is mobilising everything they have, to form an Absolute Line of Defence just outside the moon's orbit. The Federation military has already sent an advance force to Mars, in an attempt to draw the ELSs away from the Earth." **Veda/Tieria explained.

"Well, at least the Federation is doing everything it can. What do you think we should do? After all, we can't stay on the sidelines when the future of our entire race is at stake." Sumeragi said.

"**I would recommend you head towards Mars immediately. Based on the forces the Federation has sent, they won't survive for very long in the event that they actually decide to engage in battle with the ELSs. Then our best course of action would be to join the Federation's main force at the Absolute Line of Defence. In any case, all of the Gundams should be readied for combat as soon as possible." **Veda/Tieria replied.

"All right, thank you for all your help, Tieria. Contact us if you get any new information that can help us at all." Sumeragi said. Tieria nodded, closing the link.A few days later, the Ptolemaios II arrived near Mars, not far from where the Federation's advance force was meant to be. Soon after arriving on station, the ship's sensors detected what was left of the Federation ships. Out of a force of ten ships, only three remained and were fighting a losing battle. In light of the situation it was clear which Gundam was best suited to rescue the Federation ships. With its Trans-Am now complete, the Noble Gundam had more than enough firepower to hold off the ELSs, giving the Federation ships time to withdraw from the area. The rest of the Gundams minus to 00 Quanta (which was still being finished) were to standby on the ship in case Artemis needed any help.

"_Finally, I can witness the Noble's true power." _Artemis thought, as the Noble was positioned inside the linear catapult.

"_Increasing linear catapult voltage from 230 to 520. Noble stabilised with linear field. Transferring timing control to Noble." _Mileina said. Artemis nodded, gripping the controls.

"Roger, I have control. Noble Gundam, Artemis Knight, launching!" Artemis shouted, as the suit rocketed forward. As he cleared the ship, Artemis shifted the wing binders to face backwards, pushing the Noble's thrusters to their limits. The Gundam shot off into the distance like a comet with a tail of GN particles. In seconds, Artemis had the Federation ships in sight. It seemed that one more ship had been taken over during the time it had taken him to arrive on the scene. The two remaining ships were currently trying to retreat, but a swarm of ELSs was closing in, threatening to engulf the ships and their crews.

"_These ELSs, they just attack without mercy. Even when their foe tries to retreat, they never let up their assault, it's just not right." _Artemis thought, as he headed towards the ships. "Attention Federation cruisers, this is Celestial Being. I'll hold off the ELSs while you continue your withdrawal."

"_Thank you Celestial Being! You came just in time!" _one ship's commander replied, as Artemis passed the ships.

"No thanks necessary, just get out of here!" Artemis shouted. The ships both increased their speed, setting a course back towards the earth. The ELSs almost seemed to hesitate, before charging towards the Noble, drawn to Artemis' powerful quantum brainwaves like sharks to blood. Artemis moved to engage them, distancing himself from the retreating Federation cruisers.

"You won't get past me, ELSs! Trans-Am!" Artemis shouted. The Noble started to glow the familiar red-pinkish hue, as the ELSs continued to approach. Artemis brought the suit's GN Long Rifle II to bear, letting loose powerful long-range particle beams at the swarm of ELSs. The beams blasted through the swarm, but despite them destroying dozens of ELSs, the rest continued on unflinching.

"So, you want more? Then try this! Noble Gundam, charge GN High Mega Launchers!" Artemis shouted, activating the GN Launcher IIs. Both weapons' barrels unfolded into their fully extended position, as the main turret connected directly to the Noble's twin GN Drives.

"Take this! Noble Gundam, obliterating all targets!" Artemis roared. Two huge particle beams erupted from the launchers, engulfing the ELS swarm. After a few seconds the beams ceased, as the launchers returned to their usual positions. Artemis astonished by what he saw; the entire ELS swarm had been annihilated, with no trace of the alien entities remaining.

"_So this is, the true power of the Noble Gundam. With this, humanity may just have a shot at surviving this invasion." _Artemis thought, still awed at his suit's power. "Ptolemaios, this is Artemis, mission complete. The ELS swarm has been wiped out and the Federation cruisers have successfully withdrawn. I'm returning to the ship now." Back on the Ptolemaios, Anew was already going over the data gathered from the Noble's two recent sorties.

"Anew, what's it looking like so far?" Ian asked.

"From the data we've gathered, it looks like when the Noble uses Trans-Am, its weapons are around twice as powerful as Seravee's Hyper Burst attack. In addition, its margin of error for long-range firing is roughly half of what Cherudim was capable of, even without the aid of a scope." Anew replied.

"I guess the reason we didn't notice the Twin Drive's real power was because I prefer close quarters fighting, while Artemis excels at both close quarters and long-range." Setsuna observed.

"All right, as soon as Artemis returns, we'll head for the Earth Sphere in Trans-Am immediately. We have to make sure we arrive before the ELSs do." Sumeragi announced. A few minutes later the Noble reached the ship and Artemis wasted no time in getting his suit back on-board, after which the Ptolemaios changed course towards earth, engaging Trans-Am to boost its speed.

* * *

><p>That night, Artemis and Mileina lay in bed, their arms wrapped around each other, enjoying each other's warmth. Over the past two years their love had only grown stronger, to the point where they didn't even need to use words to convey their feelings. Since Mileina had become an Innovator, they were able to actually experience what the other was feeling, a bond that connected them more closely than anyone else in the world. As a result, every time they were intimate was the closest thing to heaven that Mileina thought she could ever experience. Artemis knew every sensation that flowed through her body, knew exactly what to do to increase her feelings of pleasure to the point where Mileina was practically begging him for more. But despite this, Mileina still yearned to truly become one with her love. For the past two years she'd held back, waiting until they were both comfortable, as the step they wanted to take was not one to be taken lightly. Mileina loved Artemis even more because she knew he wanted her as badly as she wanted him, and yet he kept his urges under control, all for the girl that had stolen his heart. Finally Mileina knew she was ready, and she couldn't hold herself back any longer. Unconsciously she began grinding her moist core against Artemis' length, moaning slightly as small waves of pleasure coursed through her body.<p>

"Artemis, please...I need you now!" Mileina moaned.

"Mileina, this is going to hurt you no matter how careful I am...are you sure?" Artemis asked. He knew what it would mean for Mileina, but the fact that he would be causing her so much pain knowingly hurt him more than anything.

"I know it'll hurt...but I don't care. I want to feel you inside me..." Mileina gasped, urging him on. Artemis obliged her, unclasping her bra, releasing her breasts. He then removed Mileina's now soaked panties, before pulling off his own restricting underwear. Laying Mileina on her back, Artemis lined himself up with her virgin entrance, before slowly pushing inside. Mileina gasped in a mixture of pain and pleasure like she'd never experienced in her life, as Artemis slowly entered her before reaching a barrier, the lost remaining symbol of her innocence. This thin wall of flesh was all that separated her from becoming a woman. Artemis gazed down at the beautiful girl underneath him, waiting for her to get used to his presence. Mileina gripped his shoulders, nodding for him to continue. Artemis nodded, before thrusting forward, breaking through her barrier swiftly. Mileina screamed louder than she ever had before, tears streaming down her face. The pain was greater than she could ever have imagined. She felt Artemis' arms encircle her body, holding her gently as the pain slowly subsided.

"Mileina...are you all right?" Artemis asked, his voice full of concern. Mileina smiled, touched that Artemis always thought of her before himself whenever they got intimate.

"I'm fine, you can start moving now." Mileina replied. Artemis nodded, slowly sliding out, before thrusting back in again. With each thrust, Mileina felt the pain fade away more and more. In its place came jolts of pleasure that wracked her whole body, causing her to gasp with every thrust.

"Mileina...you're so tight..." Artemis grunted, his thrusting not ceasing for a second. Mileina's walls clamped down on him with every thrust, adding to the pleasure they both felt.

"Artemis...please...FASTER!" Mileina cried out, thrusting back against him. Artemis thrusted harder, slamming into the girl over and over, not missing a beat. Mileina's eyes rolled back in her head with every thrust, her mind numb from the overwhelming pleasure she felt. Both lovers lost all sense of time and place, nothing else seemed to matter except what they were doing. Mileina couldn't think straight any more, all she could think about was how good she felt, how good Artemis was making her feel. After waiting two years for this...it was better than she could have imagined. She never wanted it to stop!

"Mileina...I'm close." Artemis grunted. Mileina's pleasure-numbed mind barely registered his voice, but she nonetheless reacted, wrapping her legs around his waist.

"Me too...come inside me Artemis!" she cried out, as she felt her own climax approaching.

"But...you could get pregnant!" Artemis protested.

"I don't care! I want your baby, Artemis!" Mileina shouted. Her words finally drove Artemis over the edge, causing him to climax. Mileina gasped as she felt his warm seed fill her as she climaxed as well. They both fell back onto the bed, exhausted from their activities. Artemis managed to pull the sheets over them, before wrapping an arm around his lover. Mileina sighed contentedly, snuggling up to him while resting her head on his chest, his dick still inside her.

"Mileina...I love you." Artemis whispered.

"I love you too...Artemis." Mileina replied, as the drifted off in each other's embrace.

* * *

><p><strong>I'm not gonna say anything here, you guys know what to do by now! Anzac-A1 out!<strong>


	11. Mobile Suit Specifications:Knight Gundam

**Here are the specs for the most powerful mobile suit ever designed, the Knight Gundam. Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Mobile Suit Specifications: GNK-0000 Knight Gundam.<p>

Unit Type: Battlefield Superiority Mobile Suit.

Profile

Model Number: GNK-0000.

Namesake: Knight.

Developed from: GN-0000N Noble.

Developed into: N/A.

First Seen: 2314 A.D.

Manufacturer: Extraterrestrial Living-Metal Shape-Shifters (ELSs).

Operator: Celestial Being.

Known Pilots: Artemis Knight.

General Characteristics

Head Height: 19.5 metres.

Weight: 65.5 tons.

Power-plant: GN Knight Drive x 2.

Accommodation: Pilot only, cockpit in chest.

Armour: ELS-Metal.

Movement

Propulsion: GN Knight particle emitters (concealed underneath armour), GN Knight Thrusters (mounted on back).

Armaments

GN Sword "Excalibur".

GN Lance "Gungnir".

GN Shield "Aegis".

Special Equipments and Features

Trans-Am.

Twin Drive.

Regenerative Armour System.

Full Body Particle Distribution System.

Quantum Brainwave 360˚ Panoramic Cockpit.

Avalon System.

Quantum Processing System-Avalon.

Optional Equipment

None

GN Knight Drive

The GN Knight Drives that power the Knight Gundam have two features which distinguish them from normal GN Drives. One is their size; they are roughly 25% smaller than traditional GN Drives, allowing them to be mounted deeper inside the suit and therefore be better protected from damage. The second is their power. As they utilise GN Knight particles, each drive produces the same particle generation rate as the 00 Raiser in Trans-Am, around 300%. This gives the Knight Gundam unrivalled speed, acceleration, manoeuvrability and firepower. As a result of the immense particles at its disposal, the Knight Gundam is capable of rapid quantization, allowing it to move around the battlefield with impunity, striking anywhere from any direction at any time. In Trans-Am, the Drives' combined output peaks at around 3000%, increasing its speed to sub-light levels.

GN Sword "Excalibur"

Taking its name from the legendary "Sword in the Stone" wielded by King Arthur, the GN Sword "Excalibur" follows the same principle as the blades utilised by the Astraea/Exia/00 Raiser/Noble lineage; solid blades with a GN Field generated on the edges to slice through armour. However, the GN Knight particles mean that the GN Sword "Excalibur" is able to cut through even the hardest materials known to man with ease, even beam sabers. When the Avalon System is activated, the sword can generate a massive beam saber (similar to the Raiser Sword and Quantum Sword), known as the Avalon Sword.

GN Lance "Gungnir"

Named after the spear carried by the Norse god Odin, the GN Lance "Gungnir" is similar to the lances wielded by the GN-XIV series of mobile suits. The difference is that there are no gun barrels and the lance is longer (the whole weapon is roughly 75% the height of the Knight Gundam) and slimmer. It can be used purely as a thrusting weapon, much like a traditional lance. However, the lance s able to generate massive bolts of GN Knight particles from its tip, similar in appearance the yellow lightning. These particles bolts are powerful enough to destroy mobile suits with a single hit, and the lance can generate hundreds of bolts at a time, with a theoretical range of many kilometres.

GN Shield "Aegis"

The shield carried on the Knight Gundam's left forearm takes its name from the shield carried by the goddess Athena in Greek mythology. The shield functions the same as previous GN Shields, able to generate a GN Field to guard against incoming attacks. However, the shield is also able to generate a beam saber from the v-shaped indentation at its base, giving the Knight Gundam a second blade should the need arise.

Regenerative Armour System

As the Knight Gundam's structure is composed of ELSs, it is extremely resistant to any sort of damage. However, if it does sustain damage, the suit can repair itself simply by assimilating any metal nearby that is a same mass as the armour that was lost and use it to repair the damage. This system means that the suit would have to be completely annihilated to prevent it from regenerating itself.

Full Body Particle Distribution System

This system replaces the need for multiple external (and therefore vulnerable) thrusters to allow the mobile suit to move. The Knight Gundam can emit particles from any point of its armour, allowing the suit to perform manoeuvers that would be otherwise impossible with conventional thrusters. It also allows the suit to generate a GN Field in milliseconds, giving the Knight Gundam a nearly impenetrable defence. Finally, the system allows the Knight Gundam to perform short, medium, and long-range Quantum Teleportation (like 00 Raiser, 00 Quanta, and Noble). However, because of the way the system works, the Knight Gundam can also teleport anything that is in contact with it, such as another mobile suit, something no other suit capable of Quantum Teleportation is able to do.

Quantum Brainwave 360˚ Panoramic Cockpit

The Knight Gundam's cockpit is what truly sets it apart from any mobile ever created. Very closely resembling the original Ptolemaios' Veda terminal, the cockpit uses revolutionary technology to allow Artemis to float inside it, even when the suit operates within a gravitation field. It also prevents him from being thrown around by impacts. The cockpit is tuned to Artemis' quantum brainwaves, allowing him to operate the Knight Gundam purely by thought. This requires such concentration that only Artemis is capable of operating the suit; there are no conventional controls. This feature allows Artemis to react almost instantaneously during battle, giving him the advantage in any fight. The seamless 360˚ field of view allows him to properly react to attacks from any direction in an instant. The cockpit is large enough to accommodate three people quite easily as well.

Avalon System

Named after the mythical island where the sword "Excalibur" was forged, the Avalon System performs the same functions as the Noble's Knight System. When activated, the Knight Gundam's particle generation rate can theoretically reach near infinite levels. As a result, the Knight Gundam's performance is boosted to unimaginable levels; the suit gains the ability to travel at faster-than-light speeds. It is also able to saturate a region of space larger than the Earth Sphere with GN Knight particles, allowing Artemis to use his quantum brainwaves to communicate with other beings and control all technology within the particle rich space. This also extends the range of the GN Lance's particle bolts, enabling them to destroy anything within the particle-rich space.

Quantum Processing System-Avalon

The Knight Gundam's most impressive feature is its Quantum Processing System-Avalon. It is essentially a powerful super A.I. construct just like Veda, but with a few key differences. Thanks to the ELS' accumulated knowledge, the entire unit is small enough to fit inside the Knight Gundam's head. And yet despite its size, Avalon has more processing power than Veda. This is mainly to allow the suit to designate hundreds of targets at once for the GN Lance's particle bolts, and to analyse every detail about any object, piece of data etc. Artemis is able to merge his consciousness with Avalon, shortening his reaction time in battle to the point where he can react almost instantly, and allows him to actually predict what an enemy is most likely to do (similar to tactical forecasting), which means that it is nearly impossible to catch him by surprise.

* * *

><p><strong>Well, like it? Yes, I realise it seems overpowered, but the 00 Quanta is also overpowered, and also the Knight Gundam will never be used as a weapon after its first battle, it mainly acts as a deterrent to war.<strong>


End file.
